Sunday, May 17, 2015

Women and Higher Level of Education

               In the past women were always underestimated by society and never involved in parts of education which men could be. Throughout history, women have only had a limited role in society with restricted opportunities (Vanderslice and Litsch, 1998). In fact, both men and women need education for a better life and future. According to Vanderslice and Litsch (1998), women who have increased education are more aware about opportunities for themselves. They are more self-confident, open-minded and more competitive. Nevertheless, most people think that women should not study at school and university to have a higher level of education. If women study at university, they just waste their time because they believe that women’s tasks are at home which do not require a higher education at all. Nevertheless, Indonesian women should study at university and have a higher level of education as equal as men. Based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Chapter XIII and Article 31, states that; (1) every citizen has the right to receive education.
Women have the same right as men do to learn anything and anywhere. Generally, in the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia states in Chapter XA concerning human rights in Article 28C; (1) every person shall have the right to develop him/herself through the fulfillment of his/her basic needs, the right to get education and to benefit from science and technology, arts and culture, for the purpose of improving the quality of his/her life and for the welfare of the human kind. Everyone who lives in Indonesia has the right to get education whether they are males or females. Both have equal right to get a better education as stated in the Constitution 1945. Through education people can develop themselves and improve their quality of life. There is no restriction anymore for women to get a higher education. Therefore, women can get a better education anywhere and they can also learn anything what they want. International world also admits that education is for any person because international people also realize the importance of education for any individual. Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights, It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits (UNESCO, 2009). 
Education is important for everyone, including women. Relatedly, the importance of women’s participation in education is critical (UNESCO, 1998). The importance of education for women is to build characters, increase intelligence, and improve knowledge. Wang and Parker (2011) clarify that women who have graduated from college are more likely than men to say their education helped them to grow both personally and intellectually. Intellectual people are those who are educated. They do not only get education to improve their knowledge, but also their personality which will be better if they get education. Furthermore, education improves many aspects in people life, such as religious aspects. Based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Chapter XIII and Article 31, states that; (3) the government shall manage and organize one system of national education, which shall increase the level of spiritual belief, devoutness and moral character in the context of developing the life of the nation and shall be regulated by law. It is clear that the aim of learning for Indonesian residents is to improve spiritual trust, deification, ethic, and personality of the residents. Parker and Wang (2011) say that a college education is necessary in order to get ahead in life these days. Therefore, education will help people survive in life. With a higher level of education, people will get a better job. A more educated individual is more likely to participate in the job market, to have a job, to work more hours, and to be paid more, and less likely to be unemployed (French and Fisher 2009).
As a mother, she should be educated. Mother is an important part in a family, especially for the children. They are those who mostly take care of all of requirement for their children, including education. The first education that children get is home education. And they will mostly get from their mother. Mother is a person who determines their children, whether they will be educated or not. As a result, it is important that women should study at university and get a higher education. Dundar and Haworth (1993) cited that “education of women is important for producing better educated and healthier children, and reducing fertility rates.” Educated mothers will produce educated children too. Parent education correlates positively with children’s health, cognitive abilities, and academic achievement (Smith, Brooks-Gunn, and Klebanov 1997). Educated mothers will also encourage their children to study at school and university. Thus, the children’s life will also get better. Those children who graduate from university are more likely to have a better quality of life and pursue extended education themselves. Those children also have much easier time getting into good schools because their parents have emphasized the importance of an education to them. They also tend to have better grades and test scores (Wann, 2013). Educated people also consider more about their health. It makes them have healthy lifestyles. According to Playdon (2013), apparently those who get a college education are more likely to have a healthier lifestyle. Automatically, they also concern about their families health. Higher levels of education also correspond to improve health and lower rates of mortality, (Grossman and Kaestner 1997; Lochner and Moretti 2004).
Women with a higher education have more chance to have a better job. People who graduate from university have more opportunities to get a better job. The benefits of a higher education also extend to the chances of being employed in the first place. Research by Greenstone and Looney (2011) of the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project, shows: “On average, the benefits of a four-year college degree are equivalent to an investment that returns 15.2% per year” (Playdon, 2013). They can compete with anyone including men and they also have the same chance as man in jobs market. Kelly and Slaughther (1991) point out that through qualifications and credentials secured through the higher learning, women would equip themselves for all manners of professional positions, entering the market place and political arena with the same advantages as men. In universities they learn many things that will be useful for their job later, for instance, problem-solving, skills of communication, and managing people. They also train to be professional workers by learning theories and doing many practices. Because of the higher education, they also have opportunities to get a better job as well as the salary. The most-measured benefit of higher education is of course graduate salaries, and the report confirms that higher levels of education do result in higher earning power (Playdon, 2013). Women employees also can be independent for their own financial. It can help themselves to survive and improve their quality of life. Dundar and Haworth (1993) cited that “education of women is important not only from the angle of equal education opportunity between the sexes, but also for the substantial social and economic returns to female education that can be achieved by raising women's productivity and  income level. In addition to that, they also help their family’s life. The children of more highly paid workers are also less likely to grow up in poverty, less likely to be poor as adults, and more likely to be better educated and paid as adults, and therefore less likely to rely on food stamps or other public assistance (French and Fisher 2009; Duncan, Kalil, and Ziol-Guest 2008).
Most people may think that women should not study at school and university.  The thought is totally wrong that women should not study at school and university. The school and university are provided for anyone, like education itself, for any individuals. As United Nation declares in the Universal Declaration of Human Right Article 26; (1) everyone has the right concerning education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and a higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Everyone in the world has the right concerning education. Certainly, it also states that a higher education should be equally accessible for anyone. It does not depend on anything, including sex. There is no doubt anymore that women can get any level of education. Normative instruments of the United Nations and UNESCO lay down international legal obligations for the right to education, these instruments promote and develop the right of every person to enjoy access to education of good quality, without discrimination or exclusion (UNESCO, 2009). Not only can women access any level of education, but they also deserve to get good quality of education which will impact to the quality of the women themselves. If the quality of the education is good, it will be useful and very helpful for their daily lives. As a mother, they will make their children educated. As a worker, they will be a professional worker and have a higher salary. Those reasons will impact to development of the country. Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens (UNESCO, 2009).
Every person may say that education for women is not important. However, the statement is completely false. As United Nation declares in the Universal Declaration of Human Right Article 26; (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. As it states in the declaration, education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality, which means that women are involved in it. It is because it is certainly women are human beings. The purpose of education according to the United Nation is that people can respect more the human right and freedom, and make the world free from discrimination as well as keep the peace of world. According to Lleras-Muney (2005) higher levels of education also correspond to lower rates of crime. Another reason is that the benefits of a more educated population accrue not just to the more educated workers, but also to the future generations and to the broader society (Berger and Fisher, 2013).
All in all, indeed, women should be educated and have degrees of education. The reasons are, women have the same chance as men to learn what they want, any level of education is necessary for everyone who needs a higher level of education, and women should also be smart as a mother. It is recommended that women should study at university to get a higher level of education, since education is important for everyone to extend their knowledge, improve the quality of life, become great mothers and make the women have good personality

References
Raadhiyah Mardiyyah
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