Do women deserve higher education?

By: Winda Putri Septiana SMP GEMA 45 Surabaya Assalamualaikum wr. wb. Good morning everyone. The honorable juries, committees, and all the participants. It is a great honor for me to join this English speech contest. In the name of Allah, the Lord of the world, the master of the day after, the creator of everything in this universe. Peace and salutation be upon our prophet Muhammad saw, who has brought us from the darkness to the brightness. The respectable juries and audiences, In this good opportunity, I would like to deliver a speech entitled Do women deserve higher eduction?. I choose this topic for my speech because it is a complex issue around the world, and it includes many sectors, such as gender quality, the existance in the society, and its connection to the alleviation of poverty. My beloved juries and audiences, Education is important for everyone, but it is especially significant for girls and women. This is true not only because education is an entry point to other opportunities, but also because the educational achievements of women can have great effect within the family and accross generations. Juries and audiences, In this modern era, there are still some parents who are reluctant to send their daughters to the college or to have a career. This narrow thinking of womens education is merely because the traditional role of women in the society. A woman is expected to be a wife and a mother. Most parents believe that if their daughter gets married and chooses to be a housewife, then the higher education will be awaste. They dont need it anymore, as long as they can raise their children and do all the household chores, its more than enough for them. Yeah, this is a common problem in our society, right? Ladies and gentlemen, Time has changed. Nowadays, more and more women are successfully combining their career and marriage. Educated women are richer both emotionally and financially. They are able to find an outlet for their monotonous tasks of their hosekeeping. They bring more satisfaction and contentment to their lives. Today, women work alongside men. In fact, women have made outstanding contributions to their family and society. A woman who works is not only an insult to her husband. On the contrary, her husband should feel proud of her achievements because marriage is actually an equal partnership. Therefore, parents should not think that girls should receive less education just because they will get married one day. My beloved audiences, As a conclusion of my speech, and to answer the question: Do women deserve higher education?, the answer is yes, absolutely. First, if it is related to health, educated women know about the danger of the early marriage, how to raise their children well, and how to live healthy and safely. So, they are less vulnerable to HIV infection or AIDS. Second, if it is integrated to the poverty, for women who are living in a poverty condition, education is not only the key to the brighter future, but also a key to survival. And the last, if it is linked to the society and literacy, education avoids women to be the victims of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation. Moreover, they also make important contributions to family income. They will find useful, discover what they want, and improve their quality of life. I think thats all of my speech. Hopefully, it will be useful for all of us. Thank you very much for your attention. Wassalamualaikum wr. wb. Good morning.