Analysis Of Half The Sky

Before boarding a school bus a young girl in Pakistan calmed her nervous friend by stating, “Don’t Worry…the Taliban would never come for a small girl (Yousafzi page 7). Little did this girl know, but within a few minutes her own life would be put at risk for attending school. This girl’s name is Malala Yousafzi, and because she is an advocator for female education, the Taliban saw her as a threat to eliminate. Thus, she was shot three times in the head and her life was put on the line. She survived the shooting, and is now an activist for women’s right to education around the world. Unfortunately, this rhetoric of a woman’s right to education being a threat is still prominent in many Middle Eastern countries. In Half the Sky I have chosen

In countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan the education system has been rendering to females and controlled by gender biases. The disregard for female education is seen within the low female literacy rates of 35.3 % (Latif 424). This shows that there is a lack of emphasis put on girls to learn how to read and write. These skills are fundamental in being aware of the world, and issues surrounding you. So, these girls are losing out on a way to be empowered and think for themselves. Gender biases are also seen with the high dropout rates of females in school. Statistics show that one hundred million girls drop out before they are able to finish primary school. To be more specific, girls on average only receive 2.5 years of schooling (Latif 425). With this being said, girls hardly experience an education. They miss out on fundamental years of intellectual growth and independence. Females in areas like this are being oppressed and their rights are being

Some, like me, are enjoying a climate where they can openly learn and embrace themselves. Others are fighting every day to rise above their social position and obtain an education. It is certain that women in radically conservative social environments do not have the same opportunities as women in other areas. This is specifically true in chiefly Islamic regions of the world. Nonetheless I think it is important to clarify that I did not refer to the Quran throughout my paper. In fact, the only reference to Mohammed or the religion itself, was positive. This is because I believe that the faith in and of itself is not the reason for these gender disparities. Different interpretations of Islamic doctrine come into play in these areas, and thus emotions may be invoked. But this does not mean that the religion as a whole is at fault. To pinpoint these issues, would be unfair and hypocritical. It would be like blaming Christianity as a whole for the radically conservative sects, who also oppress women. Thus, I think it is wise to state that the Islamic faith is not misogynistic. It could be stated that the culture in Islamic areas feeds off of a patriarchy, but the religion is not to be accounted for