If girls’ education continues to secondary level, they will be better equipped to make informed choices about their lives. Too often, girls are married young, or are taken out of school to care for their brothers and sisters or to work to support themselves and their families. At an individual level, women typically gain larger increases in wages for an additional year’s schooling than men, and this effect appears particularly strong if girls complete secondary education. Meeting a woman’s need for sexual and reproductive health services increases her chances of finishing her education, and breaking out of poverty. Laws and practices which limit a woman’s ability to control her sexual and reproductive health severely compromise her autonomy, equality, and health – as well as her children’s health.
