I know that we aren't required to post another blog this week, but while compiling my log I couldn't find my post for Week 11, so I thought I'd post this interesting article that I read yesterday. I hope you guys find it as interesting as I did!
This article discusses the attack of 3 girls schools in Afghanistan last month. Three schools were gassed, harming 124 girls total. It is still unknown who attacked the school, or why, but many speculate that the Taliban is responsible. The attack itself, however, is not the most interesting part. One week after the attack, 80% of students from the three schools had returned back to school. Although parents were reluctant to send their daughters back, they decided that the risk was worth educating their daughters. These girls are the future of a war-torn country, and therefore an adequate education is necessary.
I found the growing importance of female education in Afghanistan to be quite interesting. As many of us know, the Middle East holds a reputation for failing to educate their female population. This article lets it be known that women do in fact receive and education, and that it is quite important to them and their families. In addition, the importance of education is a result of constructivism, created by each individual nation's necessity for an educated population and driven by social values among the population. As time as passed, a growing necessity for an educated population (due to the effects of war) caused the growing importance of education among women.
This is a very interesting phenomenon, and in a way it resembles the US's story during the World Wars as well-- at least in terms of work. In both incidents, while participating in war, state governments and citizens changed their outlook on female participation in education and the work force. This makes me wonder, however, whether the motives behind the inclusion are for the benefit of the women or the state. Either way the women will benefit from experience and acquired knowledge, but what exactly are the states getting out of it. While it can be true that states want their female population to be more educated, the fact is that in war time many men are missing from schools and the work force. With this realization, states' motives become suspicious. Are they sending females in replacement for males, or do they honestly believe in equality. This may be far-fetched, but its something to consider.
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