Millennium Development Goal 3: Giving girls the same opportunities as boys
| IFED-commissioned
Report on Gender Equality and Multilaterals
(154
kb)
Many women and girls in poorer countries are still finding it very difficult to get an education or find a job simply because of their gender. Where this sort of inequality is widespread, women are unable to secure their future and contribute to the economy. This makes it much harder for countries to tackle poverty and to develop.
That’s why one of our key priorities is to get more girls into school. There has been some real progress in recent years, but 41 million girls - compared to 34 million boys - still aren’t enrolled in school.
DFID believes that education is a right, not a privilege. Investing in basic education for girls and women has a positive impact on the wider society by boosting family incomes, reducing fertility rates and contributing to better health and nutrition. Having more girls in school leads to greater economic growth and less poverty.
Countries like Bangladesh are pointing the way forward, with the Bangladeshi
Government now openly recognising the importance of achieving equality for women
for the country's overall development. DFID's country plan - Women and Girls First (683
kb) - makes gender equality a priority in all of our work in Bangladesh.
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Last updated: 04 February 2008
