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75. Science curricula in particular are gender-biased. Science textbooks do not relate to women’s and girls’ daily experience and fail to give recognition to women scientists. Girls are often deprived of basic education in mathematics and science and technical training, which provide knowledge they could apply to improve their daily lives and enhance their employment opportunities. Advanced study in science and technology prepares women to take an active role in the technological and industrial development of their countries, thus necessitating a diverse approach to vocational and technical training. Technology is rapidly changing the world and has also affected the developing countries. It is essential that women not only benefit from technology, but also participate in the process from the design to the application, monitoring and evaluation stages.
76. Access for and retention of girls and women at all levels of education, including the higher level, and all academic areas is one of the factors of their continued progress in professional activities. Nevertheless, it can be noted that girls are still concentrated in a limited number of fields of study.
Beijing Declaration (1995)
The context for many women living in some of the destitute circumstances the world can provide for them is one of abject poverty, but in some nuance senses with the poverty of mind for women and girls. That is to say, in line with the general statements in paragraphs 75 and 76, we can see note the general treatment of women as objects for particular kinds of education, certain levels of educational attainment, and differential work opportunities once out.
As paragraph 75 notes quite clearly, there is gender bias in the science curricula for the representation of girls and women, as in “women’s and girls’ daily experience,” where this can come in the insidious form of a lack of representation of the recognition of women geniuses in history, whether major or minor. We can take the case given of women scientists.
This builds into the privation for women and girls in the areas of the basic educations necessary for having a general scientific understanding and outlook on the world. In these instances, they can mean “mathematics and science and technical training” with the attempts to improve their daily lives through science can be hampered.
If you don’t know how the world works at root, how can you work with the knowledge of the world to manipulate its processes in your favour? Life becomes a mystery. Nature becomes magical. And generally, the world for women shrinks and grows opaque with the lack of access to proper education. It leads to many problems in intellectual development and societies cannot function as efficiently.
In the other cases with the advanced study in science and technology, well beyond basic training or basic science, the women can rapidly develop the industry of the society for a much stronger economy and scientifically literate society. As we have seen since the election in 2016, there has been a weakening of the economy.
With the rapid advance or march of technology, we can note a quicker development of the capacities of the society. Not only do the women themselves benefit from the education and the improved quality of life, including a more stimulating intellectual life, but there is also a general and rapid development of the quality of life of the society, which is good for the men too
What about metrics and maintenance in paragraph 76? This is an arena of the world a definite gaping hole requiring filling in many countries. It can be seen in theocracies. Also, it can be seen in nations without strong liberal democratic traditions. The metrics can help see the relative rankings of the education of women and girls at all levels, whether basic science and advanced study, and then give a marker as to what can be done better the next time around.
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- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325Â (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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Photo by Matthias Oberholzer on Unsplash
