Investing in Girls, Investing in Development – The Girl Effect

Empowering girls breaks the cycle of intergenerational poverty and helps build sustainable economies.

What needs to be done by business and government to ensure that girls are placed at the forefront of the regional development agenda?

Key Points
• Girls should be perceived as a resource and an asset and not as victims
• Unleashing the potential of girls and women is a major engine for economic growth
• Today’s girls are tomorrow’s mothers and can therefore be a key agent for change
• Raising the status of girls can break the poverty cycle
• Economic progress has the potential to change deeply entrenched beliefs
• A change in men’s attitudes is a crucial factor in women’s advancement

Synopsis
According to the last census, only 933 girls are born in India for every 1,000 boys – an imbalance believed to stem from the practice of female foeticide. Discrimination against girls and women exists at every level of society and in urban as well as rural areas.

In attempting to deal with the issue, it is vital to stop looking at girls as victims and start perceiving them as a resource and an asset. Unleashing this potential would provide India with major engine of growth and could add US$ 56 billion to the Indian economy annually.

Children’s earliest role model is their mother. Today’s girls are tomorrow’s mothers, and investing in them is a crucial agent for change.

The rights of girls and women are built into India’s constitution yet, to date, too little action has been taken.

The low status of girls provides an infrastructure for poverty. It is hardly surprising so many drop out of secondary and tertiary education because they are required to do so many chores for their families and communities. Education is the answer. One possible solution is to offer economic rewards to families if girls regularly attend school or complete their education.

Beliefs and traditions are deeply entrenched. In India, there is enormous pressure on girls to see marriage as the centrepiece of their lives. However, things are changing slowly. Many ordinary Indian women are determined that their daughters will not relive their own experiences and work hard to give them an education.

Remarkable changes in deeply engrained attitudes can be brought about by economic progress.

A holistic approach is needed with initiatives at every level – to increase women’s participation in education, improve their employment opportunities and create mechanisms to encourage fewer women to drop out of the workplace. Employers have a key role to play in educating their workers about women’s rights.

A key factor is the education of men. If men can be made to feel responsible for women’s advancement, the catalyst for change will be far greater.