Watch this video about the Pakistan floods of 2010 that destroyed countless schools throughout the country. But the rebuilding has presented an opportunity for change in traditional attitudes towards girls' education.

The role of women in history and the degree of development of a nation go hand in hand. Read the following short article and answer the questions that follow.

Women, Literacy and Development

Women's Literacy: Investing in the Future

• Women's literacy is the single most important factor in development.
• 1 out of every 3 women in the world is illiterate. Infant mortality and malnutrition are significantly lower with mothers who have completed primary education.
• Women are responsible for 70 percent of food production in Africa.
• Agricultural production can rise by as much as 25 percent when poor farmers receive even as few as four years of schooling.
• Studies show that women in newly industrialized countries are engaged in work from twelve to eighteen hours a day, every day of the week, to ensure the survival and well-being of their families.
• A woman's workday usually begins before dawn and ends long after sunset, in newly industrialized countries.
• Between 70 percent and 90 percent of students enrolled to achieve literacy in African countries are women.

(Article from: http://www.globaled.org/curriculum/wlit.html )

In your notes, write your thoughts on the following questions:

1. Why are women such an important factor in increasing a nation's development?
2. Why are there so many obstacles to increasing literacy in women?
3. What can be done to overcome those obstacles?
4. Compare the literacy rates of men and women in the countries you have studied. Describe the similarities of the literacy rates in both the more developed and newly industrialized countries.

Challenge yourself:
Choose one of the quotes about women and literacy and interpret the quote in your own words.