Listen, education empowers women globally and I’m gonna be straight—I only really started caring about that sentence in the last couple years and even now I feel like I’m faking it half the time.
It’s January 2026, middle of the day here in India, sun coming in hot through the window even though it’s supposed to be “winter”, ceiling fan making that annoying wobble sound, and I’m sitting at the dining table that also doubles as my desk trying to write this instead of doomscrolling job listings or arguing with my mother about shaadi again. My chai went cold twenty minutes ago. Classic me.
I used to think “education for girls, yeah obviously important” like it was just another checkbox. Then during lockdown I started actually reading stuff—reports, threads, survivor stories—and it hit different. Like really hit. I grew up with school, college, coaching classes, everything handed to me on a plate (okay maybe not silver but definitely stainless steel), and I still managed to waste a lot of it complaining and scrolling. Meanwhile girls literally next door in some villages are dropping out because periods or dowry pressure or just “beta ladkiyon ko itna padhne ki kya zarurat”.
My Own Very Late Wake-Up About How Education Empowers Women
I finished my degree in 2018. Got decent marks. Then spent years in call centers, small marketing jobs, switching companies every 1.5 years because salary barely increased. Kept thinking “education didn’t really change anything for me”. Which is partly true—system is broken here too—but also bullshit because I had the luxury to even think that.
Biggest cringe moment? Last year I was complaining to a friend about how hard it is to get promoted as a woman and she quietly said “at least you can read the company policy email and argue back in English”. Shut me up real quick. Education empowers women even when it doesn’t feel like a fairy tale. It gives language, It gives proof, It gives the tiniest bit of leverage in a world that wants us quiet.
Stories That Keep Me Up at Night When Thinking About Education Empowering Women
Few things that actually make my chest hurt:
- Girls in Afghanistan still studying in secret rooms in 2026. They hide books like they’re drugs. I hide my phone under pillow when mom comes to check if I’m “wasting time online”. The difference is embarrassing.
- In Haryana itself—my own state—there are still villages where girls get pulled out after class 8 because “now marriage age”. Meanwhile I argued with my parents till 24 to let me do masters. Privilege tastes bitter sometimes.
- Women in Bangladesh learning to code through cheap smartphones and starting freelancing gigs. One woman I read about now earns more than her husband. I can code “hello world” and still panic when Excel crashes.
For real numbers and less of my feelings, check UNESCO gender equality in education page or Malala Fund or even local ones like Educate Girls India. They’re doing actual work.
The Part Where I Admit It’s Still Messy Even When Education Empowers Women
Truth? Even with my degree I still feel small sometimes. Still get mansplained in meetings, Still doubt every email I send, Still hear “adjust kar lo” from relatives. But then I remember I can read the news, understand contracts, teach my younger cousin about periods without shame, question why my salary is lower than the guy who joined last year. That’s power. Small, daily, unglamorous power.
Education empowers women globally by giving us the tools to say “no” and “yes” on our own terms. Even if the world pushes back hard. Even if it takes years to notice. My flat smells like burnt garlic because I forgot the tadka on the stove again. That’s my level of adulting. Meanwhile somewhere a 15-year-old is walking 7 km to borrow a library book she can’t take home.
