Girls Education and Modernization Theory
Going places looks into the issue of girls’ education in the developing world. In the developing world, getting an education can be problematic. However, because of the global push, there are now more children in primary school. This is in line with the modernization theory, which stipulates that the activities of traditional culture are aligned with those of industrialized nations (Goorha). Because of the developments in developed countries, developing nations have also been able to adopt modern practices such as education from the former. Developing nations are trying to adopt modernity in their culture.
The problem is that girls still lag behind and often drop out of secondary education. Programs such as the Barre program have emerged to support girls through the education system and get them to a point where they become economically independent. Girls, in countries like Ghana, face several barriers when they want to access education because of poverty. This is because in most cases, parents tend to prioritize boys education. In other cases, girls are given off for marriage to generate income for the family. Having programs such as the Barre grogram that supports girl’s education means that Ghana is transitioning from a traditional culture to modern society. The country is no longer confined to the tradition of educating boys only. As a result, the number of girls in schools has been increasing. The modernization theory also looks at the social and cultural structures of a nation (Goorha). In this case poverty and traditions that value boys more than girls are among the internal dynamics that hinder modernization in the developing nations.
Conclusively, girls getting an education in developing nations conforms to the theory of modernization. Because of the global push activities from the modernized nations have been able to spread to developed nations. Countries such as Ghana have been able to adopt a program that supports girl’s education.
Work Cited
Goorha, Prateek. “Modernization theory.” Published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia, International Relations (2010).