Sciencewomen

Give women a technical education, and reduce poverty in India

Posted by Alice on October 6, 2008
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i-f875c0b07d9b3cb6229668554781b35a-alice.jpgThe PBS News Hour reports out on the Barefoot College in India. The reporter talks with grandmothers learning to make solar lights, and with the founder who believes educating men is a lost cause because they’re lazy. He argues that women use their education to get good jobs, and then use the money they earn to support their families, bringing it back to their villages, while men use it to get the worst jobs they can. It’s a compelling story, and one that reminds us of the value of microlending, particularly for women’s education and businesses.

See photos of the Barefoot College students here.

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Comments

  1. #1 Becca
    October 6, 2008

    “the founder who believes educating men is a lost cause because they’re lazy”
    I couldn’t help it. I lol’ed.
    Microlending is full of goodness though.

  2. #2 JC
    October 6, 2008

    Wow. I want to hire that grandma to work on my car! She can surely rig me up a hybrid from my gallapy.

    The founder said that the men wanted “certificates” so they can go elsewhere…. women wanted to keep building their skills. Men might take the money they earn home but might not … women put it toward their families (and treat themselves to a rare haircut). The similarities between their culture and ours are uncanny. Girls make up their majority of students too. They can study into the night with their new lanterns after doing chores. Everytime I see a story like this, I wonder what the hell men do exactly? Run the place? Talking about running the place/home? Women are doing everything in their villages – what are the men doing and where are they? good grief.

  3. #3 Wagner
    October 7, 2008

    This is the exact reason why our country is in financial ruins right now, men not doing their jobs. It really is the time for women to run things and clean up this mess that has been created by men running our country for too long. Polluting our lands, doing everything based on greed, destroying our education system, and discriminating against women because they know how good we really are. We all need to help one another. Each time a women moves up she needs to grab the hand of as many women as she can and pull them up with her. And we need to support each other on all levels. Only then will things begin to change for women in science. I still look at some of the cancer meetings and it is the same old boys club, giving the same old invites to one another. But lets be positive and help invoke some change for the good of us all.

  4. #4 Kathleen
    October 7, 2008

    This is the exact reason why our country is in financial ruins right now, men not doing their jobs. It really is the time for women to run things and clean up this mess that has been created by men running our country for too long. Polluting our lands, doing everything based on greed, destroying our education system, and discriminating against women because they know how good we really are. We all need to help one another. Each time a women moves up she needs to grab the hand of as many women as she can and pull them up with her. And we need to support each other on all levels. Only then will things begin to change for women in science. I still look at some of the cancer meetings and it is the same old boys club, giving the same old invites to one another. But lets be positive and help invoke some change for the good of us all.