Laos has the highest rate of young brides in Southeast Asia – but education is the pathway to female empowerment says Christine Redmond, as she offers lessons and insights from Aide et Action's women’s entrepreneurship project in the country
This becomes even more pronounced when viewed through a gendered lens, with a 2016 study by Plan International Laos finding that gender beliefs and attitudes contributed to less value being placed upon girls’ education in ethnic minority communities, leading to girls not finishing school.
While at the current rate, according to the World Economic Forum, it will take 108 years to close the inequalities between women and men and 202 years to reach parity in the world of work, projects like Aide et Action’s are increasing community awareness and participation in creating economic opportunities for women and girls, especially those previously denied an education.
Such disparity is directly linked to the entrenched norms where parents and other community stakeholders tend to believe that boys typically have more earning potential.
This article was written by CHRISTINE REDMOND
To read the full article, please click on the following link: https://southeastasiaglobe.com/womens-empowerment-and-education-in-laos/
1957.421 SRY