The fruits of girls’ education

For millions of women around the globe, lack of education is a handicap for which they pay a heavy price. Some 565 million women are illiterate, mainly in poor rural areas. These women cannot sign their names, decipher simple instructions, or fill out an application form. Their lack of education limits their ability to earn money and get credit, to participate in decisionmaking in their families and communities, to delay childbearing, and to offer their children the best life chances. The failure to educate these women when they were girls is the result of a range of factors, including the..