IRVING, Texas — On January 1, 2023, Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced H.Res 54 to the House of Representatives to affirm the United States’ commitment to increasing access to quality education for young people, particularly girls, worldwide. The resolution stresses that, in the past two years, Covid-19-related closures have disrupted classroom education for some 147 million students globally, which could equate to a total loss of $17 trillion in lifetime earnings. Furthermore, it underscores that around 129 million girls remain unenrolled in school due to barriers hindering their access to education. Noting that education is critical for poverty reduction and global economic growth, here’s how H.Res 54 addresses women’s education and its effects on poverty.
How Does H.Res 54 Address Women’s Education?
H.Res 54 reaffirms the U.S.’s 2021 pledge of $305 million for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and its continued support for Education Cannot Wait (ECW), to which the U.S. is currently the third largest donor. Both the GPE and ECW have proven effective in implementing the U.S.’s bilateral education reforms, and, together, the organizations have advanced the education of more than 83.3 million girls globally in the past two decades. Moreover, H.Res 54 reinforces the U.S.’s commitment to improving the education of an additional 15 million girls or more by 2025. To this end, the bill also reiterates continued U.S. support for the Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning, a joint initiative of the World Bank, UNICEF and USAID to halve the number of children who lack foundational reading skills by 2030.
Moving forward, H.Res 54 calls on the House of Representatives to:
- Recognize the U.S. for improving access to quality education for all children;
- Increase U.S. investments and support for the GPE and ECW;
- Encourage the U.S. to integrate education into all humanitarian relief efforts;
- Expand the U.S. annual budget to meet commitments to international education;
- Call on the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to implement all means necessary to promote equal access to education;
- Call on the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to prioritize advancing quality, inclusive education for children worldwide.
Implicit to these six resolutions are the U.S.’s targeted plans to address women’s education and its effects on poverty. Specifically, H.Res 54 notes that, in neglecting girls’ education, countries are losing $15-$30 trillion in “lifetime productivity and earnings.” Yet, “every $1 invested in girls’ education” has the potential to generate up to $2.80 in additional economic growth.
How Does Women’s Education Help Alleviate Poverty?
The passage of H.Res 54 would help reduce poverty in three ways:
- National Economic Prosperity: A recent study assessed the impact of women’s empowerment, including increased education access and asset ownership, on poverty in rural Bangladesh. It found that for every 10% increase in women’s empowerment, per capita income would rise 14%. Simultaneously, the prevalences of income poverty and multidimensional poverty would decrease by 0.99% and 1.01%, respectively. Significantly, increased per capita income correlates to increased national GDP, the main indicator of a country’s economic health. Accordingly, the Bangladeshi study demonstrates that investing in women’s education can help reduce poverty and strengthen the economies of developing countries.
- Improved Maternal Health: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading global cause of death for females aged 15 to 19 is pregnancy- and birth-related complications. As U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has pointed out, many young girls are “forced to marry” when their bodies are “not ready for reproduction” and “when they, in fact, should be learning to read.” Notably, education helps prepare women for pregnancy and childbirth and better equips them and their children to break the cycle of poverty. Completing primary school could reduce maternal deaths by two-thirds, while completing secondary school could reduce child deaths by 50% and prevent malnutrition-induced stunting for some 12 million children.
- Less Generational Poverty: Generational poverty refers to a self-perpetuating cycle that traps families in poverty and prevents them from strengthening their socio-economic conditions. Women’s education can help families escape generational poverty by increasing household income and financial stability. For example, one additional year of schooling can increase a woman’s income by 20%, according to the World Bank. Furthermore, education helps reduce gender-based income disparities and increases women’s likelihood of securing jobs that help support their families.
The Future of H.Res 54
Since its proposition by Rep. Meng, H.Res 54 has gained the support of 51 cosponsors. Pending congressional approval, the resolution will help advance global economic stability, maternal health and prosperity by addressing the pressing issue of women’s education and its effects on poverty.
– Manav Yarlagadda
Photo: Flickr