Girl Child Education and Its Importance to Her Economic Advancement

Abstract

This study examines the importance of girl child education to her economic advancement in Nigeria. The study highlighted the importance of education of women as well as girl child. It is on record that ‘man in his position as father and husband is the direct oppressor and beneficiary, individually and directly, of the subordination of women’. This patriarchal position of the society subjected women to the position they found themselves today. The study adopted the Modernisation Theory because this theory blames internal cultural factors for women’s subordination in the developing world. The central thrust of this theory is that males are accorded patriarchal control and dominance over a range of female activities and, consequently, women have little status in developing societies. There are various challenges faced by women to obtain equal education in all forms of formal education in Nigeria. I concluded that given women quality education will empower them more than any other empowerment programme. Education should be a right for all Nigerian children irrespective of gender, religion and disability. By way of recommendation, education therefore is the best empowerment programme we can give to our female children as well as male children to have a good future.

Keywords: Empowerment, Education, Gender Inequality, Social Development, Marginalisation