Feminism and Girls’ Right in Education: A Review of Cases from Developing Countries

Feminism and girls’ right in education-
a review of cases from developing
countries
1

5.0 CHAPTER FIVE: RESULTS
5.1 Concept of Feminism
The definition of feminism includes many political movements, ideologies, and social
movements with equal political, personal, economic and social equality (Walby, 2011). The goal
is to create professional and educational opportunities for women similar to men. The Fourth UN
World Conference on Women's Forum, held in Beijing conducted a study to provide equal
opportunities for men and women. The majority of the world explicitly supports equality
between men and women, such that women can work outside their homes and help build the
nation (Carrington, 2014). It is generally accepted that women should have the same rights as
men however the inequalities remain.
Pakistan was convicted from the start against the concept of feminism and religion acts as a
primary factor against women for equality (Fleschenberg, 2010, p.166). While Benazir Bhutto
(Pakistan’s first Muslim head of state and serving twice as Prime Minister Pakistan), Sharmeen
Obaid Chinoy (two time Academy Awards and six Emmy Awards recipient), Malala Yuousafzai
(female education activist and youngest Nobel Prize Laureate), Muniba Mazari (featured under
30 list in Forbes 30, a wheelchair-bound painter and TV anchor) and Fiza Farhan (a United
Nations’ panel of women Economic Empowerment and featuring under 30 in Forbes 30 lists).
Feminism in Pakistan has made significant progress in attending schools and universities and in
getting jobs (Critelli and Willett, 2013, p. 201-221). Pakistan is a country rooted in extremist
religious ideology and extremism. With the main religious tendencies guided through unstable
political history, martial laws, and democracy, leadership through dictatorship without hesitation.
On February 12, 1983, women activists and lawyers filed a petition against in the Lahore High
Court, where a man’s testimony is equated to two women. The infamous Hudood Ordinance by
Pakistani dictator General Muhammad Zial ul-Haq, reflecting his view of Islamic law (Critelli
2

and Willett, 2010, p. 407-422). Although Hudood's laws of adultery and rape have replaced by
the less pronounced Pakistani's Protection of Women Act (2006) on the protection of women in
Pakistan, however Pakistani feminists activists still have a long way to go (Shaheed, 2010).
Gender-based violence, widespread recognition of women not to seek education or employment
and communities that accept female roles as property and in domestic works remain widespread
across the country. Pakistani law, their society or religion does not allow for women to be treated
as an equal with men. Deep-rooted cultural and patriarchal traditions of Islam meets the demands
of the misogynists. Pakistan had been placed at the last point before equality, in the gender
equality annual report (Jamal, 2013). The World Economic Forum Gender Index, based in
Geneva, depicts Pakistan being on 141 lists out of 142 countries in female political participation
and economic opportunities for women, 132 in providing access to education, 119 for survival
and 85th for empowering politically.
The position of feminism in Nigeria can be analyzed from its history of feminism. The liberation
of women is part of Nigerian history and began in 1914 when several demonstrators were called
"Ogidi Palaver." The first movement was disseminated indigenous peoples and the British
(Badran, 2013). The 1925 Nwaobiala Movement was strongly reflected in the rejection of the
colonial state. It was regarded as "Women's War" involving 10,000 women who participated and
upheld the mainstream of women. In Nigeria, there have been some feminist movements with
creative expression. Feminism is absent in all walks of life, and farmers make up 40 percent of
the population (Haussman, Sawer and Vickers, 2010). Gender diversity can resolve many of the
problems that can aid the growing population with cheap and nutritious livelihoods and food.
Religion and tradition are means used by society to misinterpret women. Technology has played
an important role in modern Nigerian feminism in spreading the feminist consciousness of
3

revolutionary social relationships (Marmara, p.2320-6942). The last "Me Too Hashtag" was a
major women's movement in Nigeria that highlighted the difficult reality of women in the
country. The campaign was launched during Boko Haram, "Bring Back Our Girls" and "No
More," a hashtag movement founded by Nigerian activist Ireti Bakare-Yusuf. The movement led
to the conclusion of sexual abuse and impunity. Unlike in the West, the bourgeois borders of
Nigerian society as a popular indicator in the Nigerian context (Okafor and Akokuwebe, 2015).
The pay gap between men and women is a relative difference between the pay of men and
women. Gender differences between men and women point to gender differences in Nigeria is
highly prominent. Modernization and economic growth have developed in the context of the
global economy, but credible relations to modern times in Nigeria have not been mentioned.
Traditions, religious customs, and societal roles have high significance amongst middle and
lower class of Nigeria population (Norwood, 2013, p. 225-236). Religious services are
considered to be an important aspect of middle class Nigerian, and they attend regular services.
Nigerian feminists movements have been gaining some pace in the recent time period as
Nigerian feminists are stirring movements for personal space and more gender role identity
within the society.
5.2 Rights in Female Education
Education allows an individual to develop in a social, mental, physical, emotional, political,
economic and spiritual manner. This process enables the acquisition of knowledge and the
potential for self-realization (Aslam, 2009, p. 747-784). Education protects, preserve and
strengthen self-actualization. The nature of education depends on individual abilities, which
confers the rights of every citizen, regardless of gender, nationality, and age. The Universal
4

Declaration of Human Rights (1948) regards education as a fundamental right. The figure below
depicts children out of school in Pakistan by region.
Figure 1: Children Out of School in Pakistan
Source: (Dawn.com, 2015)
Pakistan was represented at the World Summit on Education and Development (2015) entitled as
one of the worst performing countries in the world in terms of education. The new government,
elected in July 2018, stated that 22.5 million of the most affected children, most of which were
girls at primary school (Asadullah, 2009, p. 77-86). In Pakistan, it is estimated that 32% of girls
in elementary schools come from high school and 21% of them are boys. At the age of six,
5

nearly 59% of girls got out of school, whereas boys were only 49%. Only 13% of girls went to
school till ninth grade. These details depict that the girls were the most affected.
Figure 2: Reasons for Children Not to study
Source: (Dawn.com, 2015)
Women's rights to education are linked to various obstacles within the school system. The
Pakistani government is reluctant to create an education system to meet the needs of the country,
especially girls (Faridi, Chaudhry and Anwar, 2009). The government does not build enough
schools, and there is no initiative to establish a private institution or religious institutions from
establishing schools. The lack of state-subsidized schools and the presence of schools at a
distance, where women are victims of sexual violence are the reasons parents of girls do not send
their daughters to school. Pakistani Taliban forbids girls to go to school. Lack of legal structure
in education deters females from receiving an appropriate education. The religiously driven
political state with religious motives has hindered from providing of female rights in education
(Nadeem et al., 2011).
6