Blog 4- Inequality

Shauntel McAllister

9/23/2011 4:40pm

When thinking of inequality, the first thing that comes to many people’s mind is racism. However, one of the main issues facing countries is this issue of gender inequality. In many countries, a periphery and core country alike, gender inequality is something that is a major problem.

The article I am writing about is one that tells about the lack of education women are able to receive in Nepal. In many cases, unless the family is one that comes from wealth, the women of the family are uneducated and illiterate. Unfortunately this is common practice in this country that still relies on a caste system. “Caste and gender remain the major barriers to education. If you are a girl from a Dalit or an indigenous family, you are unlikely to go to school or complete primary education”, though one may not see how the caste system and lack of education goes hand-in-hand, education in Nepal has become highly politicized because of the absence of an elected government. “The chair or membership of school management committees is often sought to assert and retain power locally. Local education officials therefore spend most of their time firefighting political problems”

Though the education for women in Nepal is not important to even the families of these females for various reasons, it is vital to every country that women receive an education just as good as their male counterparts. If a woman is unable to receive a good education, she will always be dependent upon a man which will lead to further inequalities, a cycle that will never end.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/sep/16/nepal-challenge-keeping-girls-in-school