There are 600 million adolescent girls in
the developing world. When they benefit, so
does everyone in society.
Girls as economic actors can bring about change for
themselves, their families, and their countries. Conversely,
ignoring the girl effect can cost societies billions in
lost potential.
Here are the facts.
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When a girl in the developing world receives seven or
more years of education, she marries four years later, on
average, and has 2.2 fewer children.
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An extra year in primary school statistically boosts girls'
future wages by 10% to 20%, and every additional year a
girl spends in secondary school lifts her income by 15%
to 25%. The size of a country's economy is in no small part
determined by the educational attainment and skill sets
of its girls.
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Young women have a 90% probability of investing their
earned income back into their families, while the likelihood
of men doing the same is only 30% to 40%.
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A girl's school attainment is linked to her own health and
well-being, as well as reduced death rates: For every
additional year of schooling, a mother's mortality is
significantly reduced, and the infant mortality rate of her
children declines by 5% to 10%.
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If educated, girls can get loans, start businesses, employ
other women, and reinvest in their families — when they're
ready to have them. That means their children can also have an education.
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The girl effect is the same the world over. Yet even though
this is well known, girls as a group still receive less than 0.5% of official development assistance. To unleash the potential power of girls on economic development, further action is needed, including protecting their security and meeting their basic needs. When we do this, girls could have the
opportunity to create a ripple effect of positive social and economic change.
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info@forgirlsake.org |
Forgirlsake is a grassroots movement bringing girls and women together
| to support and educate girls |
in need. Whether it be through books or computers, school scholarships
or building materials, Forgirlsake strives to make a measurable impact
on girls’ lives and their communities around the world. |
Girls and women are foundational to the fabric of any healthy society. And yet all too often they face barriers to fully realizing their potential either as individuals or as members of their communities.
By providing girls with educational opportunities, they are in a stronger position to achieve their goals
and help in their community development. As Greg Mortensen, acclaimed philanthropist and Director
of Central Asia Institute asserts, “Educate a boy, you educate a boy, educate a girl and you educate
a community.”* Forgirlsake is passionate about supporting girls’ empowerment and promoting lasting, meaningful and positive change — change that can help to build healthier populations, thriving communities, sustainable economies, and most importantly, a more equitable and secure world.
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