Investing in Girls’ Education: An Opportunity for Corporate Leadership

Abstract

There is an increasing chorus of consensus when the public and private sectors discuss the value of educating girls. Such investments are almost unanimously described in a positive light, both for the long and short term. An influential global constituency, ranging from thought leaders at the World Economic Forum and the World Bank, to prominent business practitioners from many of the world's most profitable companies, is coalescing around the idea that delivering on the universal right to education, with a particular emphasis on girls' education, is one of the most effective ways to generate a significant social and economic return on investment. The obstacles to girls' access to education around the world have long been recognized as a significant barrier to social and economic progress. As noted economist Gene Sperling said at The Council on Foreign Relations in 2004, ""Girls' education is an integral part to virtually every aspect of development. And what is just striking is the amount of hard, rigorous academic data that is, not only about what girls' education does in terms of returns for income, and for growth, but in terms of health, AIDS prevention, the empowerment of women, and prevention of violence against women.