ICSE Class 8 Answered

Every day we read daily headlines about cruel acts of violence and discrimination against women. Is it still terrible to be born a girl in the world today? Women are physically sexually assaulted, girls are kidnapped and forced into sex trade, women in some countries are stoned for voicing their opinion, and female foetuses are aborted even before they are born. All this distressing news provides plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about women’s equality and safety in today’s world. But as a famous philosopher said, where there is hope, there is everything, one cannot deny that there is also some reason for hope. 

In recent decades, women and girls have made important gains that point to a much brighter future. The global gender gap in education has been shrinking. As of July 2013 women's political participation worldwide continues to grow. 35 countries, including nine in Africa, had national parliaments with at least 30% female representatives. Women are beginning to outnumber men at the university level -- in some cases by a wide margin. 

As depressing and disturbing as the headlines can be, the dire statistics about violence against women have a silver lining. News of violence, hatred, and discrimination against women is beginning to catalyze powerful change. So too is the growing body of evidence that disempowering women poses an enormous economic cost on society. but the momentum of positive change for women and girls in the world today is undeniable.