Challenges to Education

The biggest challenge girls confront in my community to accessing an education is the lack of family support which can lead to a lack of motivation in this population. However, I believe that the issue is not necessarily accessing their education but more so staying committed and ultimately graduating and moving on to secondary education such as college. Many of the young women in my community are raised by parents who did not value education or who also faced challenges to accessing and obtaining their education. These parents are often working multiple jobs to provide for the family leaving them little time to encourage and promote education to their children. However, I believe accessing education becomes a bigger challenge for those young women who understand the importance and benefits of continuing their education and want to “beat the odds”. It can become a bigger challenge for those young women in my community who want to access post secondary education options such as attending trade school and colleges. Accessing post secondary education can become a challenge for those girls who have a lack of family support and also a lack of resources which can have a negative effect on their drive and determination to obtaining their post secondary education.
There are many barriers that can have an impact on young women accessing education including economic and social obstacles. Some of the barriers include coming from low income households or poverty, lack of resources and personal challenges such as teen pregnancy and lack of confidence. Financial stability plays a huge role in young women being able to access quality education. Young women who reside in low income communities often do not receive the best options for education due to their economic restraints. As it relates to post secondary options, young women may have to settle for attending local technical schools and colleges in their community verses attending a school outside their community that may benefit them more. Having limited access to resources especially resources such as scholarships and grants to pay for school can pose additional barriers for young women. It may be that these women are not aware of the additional support or are limited to receiving support. Another issue facing young women in my community is teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy can have lasting effects on young women as it relates to accessing education. Teen mothers often have lower chances of accessing education and are negatively impacted as a result. The children of these teens often suffer as well. The overall confidence and self esteem of these women can also become negatively impacted due to these barriers.
Education has a very strong correlation to becoming success in life. Young women who face barriers accessing education could experience lifelong challenges. However, overcoming these barriers and challenges is not impossible. Those young women who remain motivated and determined to overcome any obstacle often go on to do great things. Offering support and encouragement to these young women is important in helping them realize the importance of education and making it easier for this population to access education.