by Patty Pitts
Educating women is more productive than educating men according to Dr. Alan Hedley (Sociology). Especially in developing countries, because of the universal sexual division of labour in which women are assigned primary responsibility for nutrition, health, and raising children, the results of education are more immediately translated into tangible benefits. Yet throughout the world, again more so in developing countries, men are given significantly more opportunities to learn than women. Hedley wants to change this and a paper he gave at last year's World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology (IIS) has prompted an international initiative to educate more women around the world.
Unlike many research papers, Hedley's also included a proposal to establish a graduate scholarship program for women in developing nations by having IIS member universities provide the seed funding and support. He proposed that the scholarship program be called Dialogue. The IIS agreed and appointed Hedley to direct the program.
³In families and nations in which women are educated,² said Hedley in his presentation ³Gender, Education, and Development: A Synopsis and a Proposal,² ³there will be fewer, healthier children, both boys and girls, who will be raised to deal more effectively with the challenges that confront them. In other words, because of the pervasive nature of education, and because of the traditional role responsibilities of women, the education of women benefits all society.²
Hedley's research led him to example after example of women being passed over for educational opportunities. Although most developing countries have a compulsory education policy for children, close to one-half of all women have not been able to take advantage of it. While illiteracy decreased from 24.2 per cent of the total world population in 1970 to 19.5 per cent in 1985, women's share of the illiteracy burden increased from 60.9 per cent to 62.9 per cent during the same period. Now more women than ever before (nearly 600 million) have to confront the ordeal of illiteracy. Hedley proposes that the graduate scholarship will produce a core of professionally trained women who, upon returning to their home countries, will pass on their knowledge to all women.
The IIS will be responsible for the central administration and co-ordination of the Dialogue scholarship and that individual IIS members approach their university presidents to waive annual tuition fees for this program and join a consortium of participating member universities throughout the world. UVic is leading the way by initiating a permanently endowed graduate scholarship for the Dialogue program and Hedley is adding fund-raising to his curriculum vitae as he seeks donors to cover the cost of the scholarship recipients' travel, books and accommodation.
He has established Dialogue as a charitable organization and donations to it are tax deductible. Anyone wishing to make a donation or acquire further information about the program can contact Hedley at 721-7571 or write to him c/o the Department of Sociology, P.O. Box 3050, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3P5.
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