Essay writing women universities as agents of change: Ensemble CSS

 Women Universities as Agents of Change

Outlines:

Introduction

Defining Women Universities

Essay writing women universities as agents of change: Ensemble CSS

Current Scenario

To what extent is it true that women's universities are agents of change?

Yes, it is true because 

Women's universities provide feminists access to higher education.

Educated women are financially independent.

The economic independence of women contributes to the prosperity of nations.

What are the rationales behind the barriers to women's universities?

Cultural constraints

Early marriage

Insecure environment and harassment

Gender biasness

Impacts of restricting women universities 

Political impacts

Unfamiliarity with democracy

Economic impacts

Low GDP

Social impacts 

Wrong perception about women's empowerment

Gender discrimination

Psychological impacts

Low self-esteem

Low self-confidence

Recommendations

Educate young minds about the importance of women's universities

Improve and make the environment safe for women's education

Promote gender equality in every professional field

Conclusion

Women's access to higher education is the second name of the progress of a country. Women's universities outnumber male universities in the USA at the global level. At the regional level, more than half of Japanese women are university graduates. At the national level, 49% of women are associated with a university-level education in Pakistan. Women's universities bring a notable change in society. The major obstacle in building the foundation of women's universities is cultural constraints; however, this problem can be overcome by accentuating women's education's importance in a country's GDP.

Women's universities provide a platform for feminists to propagate their ideologies for the betterment of society and their lives. The concept of women's university is familiar, and more emphasis has been put on women's education since prophethood. Women's universities help cultivate a positive mindset of humanity. Developed countries have also ensured the promulgation of higher education for women. Thus, women's universities are necessary for making a nation successful.

Despite the globalized issue of gender-based violence, women's universities are expanding worldwide. Even so, universities still measure women's access to higher education instead of tracking their outcomes and success rates. As per UNESCO, there is a huge gender gap at the academic level globally. Further, 43 out of 200 world's best universities are currently led by women, according to Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2022. Hence, practical measures would be required to ensure more and more women's universities.

Despite extreme violence and discrimination against women in different societies, women's universities can be agents of change. About 1.2 million women enrolled in universities in Canada in 2020. Enrollment of women in universities gives them opportunities for research and development. According to Frontiers in Education, there are more than 20% of women researchers worldwide. Women can take care of themselves better from a maternity viewpoint through education in university. They favor family planning, the use of contraceptives and the prevalence of awareness of stigmatized diseases such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and AIDS etc. According to WHO, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death globally in 15 to 19 years old. To sum up, it would not be wrong to say that women's universities are the agents of change.

Higher education is the first step towards gaining financial independence. Similarly, women's universities provide opportunities for women's empowerment as well. They fuel the passion of women to become independent in finance and make progress in technology. As per new studies, women entrepreneurship increased by 40% in 2021, compared to 28% in 2019 in the USA. Moreover, in the age of globalization, numerous girls are participating in freelancing in order to manage their finances. Thus, women's universities are empowering women financially.

A nation only prospers when all and sundry participate in its development without gender distinction. In the modern age, it has become essential for women to contribute to the progress of a country as well. Research shows that women's participation in political affairs reduces corruption and enhances transparency in public service delivery. In Jamaica, there is a 50.6% share of women in senior, managerial and legislative roles, whereas, in Togo, the share is 70.1%. Moreover, the inclusion of women in every professional sector boosts productivity and women's universities assist females in this regard. To sum up, it has been proved that women's universities are paving the way for a nation's prosperity by inculcating women's economic independence in society.

Generally, there are several barriers to women's universities globally and in developing countries. The major hurdle in the establishment of women's universities is cultural constraints. Despite the awareness about the importance of women's education and its benefits, societies prefer male access to higher education to females. Women in Afghanistan face obstacles to getting higher education in the Taliban's government. In third-world countries, people strongly believe that women have no existence outside the domain of their male family members. Furthermore, it has become a social norm that women are supposed to seek approval from society for any social activity. Therefore, cultural norms and prejudices halt women's access to higher education.

Another factor restraining women from getting a higher education is early marriage. According to a WHO report released in 2013, 21% of girls got married under 18 on account of flawed legislation and misinterpretation of Islamic beliefs in Pakistan. In addition, backward countries prefer women's reproductive health to their creative skills. This conviction thwarts the concept of women's universities. Further, poverty also adds salt to the injury. It is also one of the main reasons behind fewer women in universities. Thus, there is no denying that early marriage limits women's access to higher education.

Uncertain environments and harassment also put a question mark on establishing women's universities. As per WHO's newly released report, globally, one in three women has been subjected to physical or sexual harassment in their lifetimes. Owing to the patriarchal mindset, especially in third-world countries, people consider this issue an internal family matter instead of a crime. They consider women the private property of their male family members, so this prejudiced mindset and terrible environment do not allow women to enter university to get higher education. Hence, fear of harassment and violence hamper the advancement of women's universities.

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Gender biasness also inhibits the development of women's universities, without which women's empowerment cannot be guaranteed. According to International Labour Organisation, women's representation in global labor force participation is below 47%, while for men, this ratio is 72%. Women are paid 34% less than men and are under-represented in the global education sector, as per Global Gender Parity Report. Hence, gender biasness impedes the inauguration of women's universities.

The consequences of barriers to women's universities are debilitating. When there is any hurdle to the development of women's universities, access to higher education by women becomes only a dream that would be hard to achieve. From a political stance, the low literacy rate of women stops them from acquiring education about governance and democracy. Unfamiliarity with democracy does not allow them to use their voting right well. They cannot build their perceptions and opinions about political affairs. Thus, restricting the development of women's universities results in bad governance.

From an economic point of view, women cannot contribute to economic affairs efficiently when their universities are ceased to build. Women constitute half of the world's population, so when 50% of the population does not contribute to the economy, the male population becomes overburdened. The ultimate result will be lower GDP; therefore, building more and more women's universities is necessary to make countries economically prosper.

Obstructing women's universities causes negative social impacts as well. People tend to get the wrong perception about women's empowerment and feminism, specifically in developing countries. Consequently, they become reluctant toward female leadership and contemplate women universities as a "threat to patriarchy ."Moreover, this mindset promotes gender discrimination in every field of life. Hence, curtailing women's universities has negative social impacts too.

Curbing the foundation of women's universities also causes psychological impacts on society. Denial of women's access to higher education lowers their self-esteem, and they do not value themselves. In addition, low self-esteem does not help women to build self-confidence. Low self-confidence means a huge percentage of the world population is deprived of recognition of their abilities and strengths that would be beneficial for the progress of a country otherwise. To sum up, expanding women's universities is mandatory to enhance women's self-esteem.

There are numerous remedial measures to boost the development of women's universities. Educating young minds about the importance of women's education has a prime concern in this regard. The need of the hour is to introduce the curriculum describing women's social values and stigmatizing violence against women. In this way, women's access to higher education and participation in every professional sector would be unchallenging. Therefore, educating youngsters about the significance of women's universities is a time requirement.

On the other hand, improving the education environment for women and making it safe for them is synonymous with a successful nation. Gender-based violence should be eradicated at the gross root level. There should be zero tolerance for harassment and violence, and accountability against abusers must be imperative. To summarize, a harassment-free environment is a foremost step in encouraging women in universities. 

Lastly, gender equality in every professional sector is a prerequisite for promoting women's universities. For this, breaking gender stereotypes is indispensable. One estimate suggested that closing the male-female gap in labor force participation could increase Pakistan's GDP by 30%. Moreover, a survey shows that putting more emphasis on women's security has allowed the better consideration of non-traditional security threats. So, gender equality is paramount for the development of women's universities.

To sum up, it has been stated so far that it would not be wrong to say small steps are being taken to promote women's universities globally, but the process is still in the evolutionary phase. The major rationale behind developing women's universities is the terrifying environment filled with harassment. This practice stimulates gender discrimination in societies. Accountability against abusers has become essential to make the environment safe for women to enroll in higher education. As every cloud has a silver lining, numerous actions are being taken for the development of women's universities across the globe despite several hurdles.