Empowering Women and Girls Through Education: SDG’s Vision 2030

Abstract

The Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) and Vision 2030 is a thought provoking issue after un-accomplishment of MDGs 2015. This study was conducted by considering goal 5 of SDG vision 2030 about Empowering Women and girls in the perspectives of Education. The design of the study was descriptive in nature. A sample was selected in three different regions of Punjab (south, central and upper). A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect a proportionate sample size of 600 educated and uneducated women to collect data for the study. Data was collected by questionnaire, and focus group discussions. The results were collected using SPSS version 16 and inferential conclusions were made by content analysis. The main objective of the study was to identify the factors which play a pivotal role in empowering women and girls through education. The findings of the study revealed that the factors which riveted educated and uneducated women were different and varies by the area of Punjab they belong. Factors which affected the women of Rural South Punjab were ignorance and poverty, patriarchal thinking and the caste system. In Rural Central Punjab and the Rural Upper Punjab women were confronting economic status and gender discrimination in their inclination towards Education and Empowerment. Therefore it was concluded that Education may act as a vector to awareness, equity and equality for girls and women in their transformative process of empowerment and sustainable development of a country. The beneficiaries of the study are educated and uneducated women, stake holders, Policy makers and the future researcher.