International Day of the Girl Child
October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child.
Started in 2012, this day is intended to promote girls’ empowerment and bring attention to the need to address the challenges that girls face. Across the globe, girls still face barriers to education. This has only been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the growing impacts of climate change.
Did you know:Nearly 1 in 4 girls, aged 15 to 19 years, globally are not in education, employment or training compared to 1 in 10 boys.
Forced marriage is still a common practice in many parts of the world. This may be well intentioned by the family, hoping to secure financial security. However, forced marriage can cause life long issues, and deny girls an education and control over their own lives.
In Australia, while girls and women are more likely than boys and men to complete school and attain a university degree, this is not translating into equality of opportunity in adult life. There is a higher proportion of women outside the workforce or working part-time compared to men. This is partially due to child caring responsibilities being placed on women, but there is also evidence that girls and women are not able to build on the advantages of their education in the same way as young men.
The gender pay gap affects female university graduates, and this is exacerbated by childcare and other caring responsibilities. Girls in Australia start off stronger than boys – but this educational success doesn’t equate to economic opportunities later in life – suggesting that policy settings, workplaces cultures and rigid gender roles are continuing to pose barriers for women, men and other genders.
What we can do:Highlight women as leaders.
Encourage women and girls participation in politics and civic participation.
Encourage and support people of all genders to provide caring roles.
Support and celebrate the work of women and girls around the world.
More on International Day of the Girl Child here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day
About Kathryn RenwickKathryn, our Engagement Lead, has over a decade’s experience in local government and not-for-profit, working across social and health planning, community development and engagement. Her work is grounded in social justice principles; recognising the barriers that exist within our society and trying to lower them.
She considers it a privilege to work with the community and discuss the issues that matter to them. Bringing an outcome focused, open and flexible approach, Kathryn has a passion for people, engagement, and data. Integrity and accuracy are important to her – being true to the data and what people are saying.