Why are so many grown-up women illiterate?

Question

I find it difficult to understand how so many adults are unable to read and write. I learned English as a second language (Welsh being my home language) as a kid and by the time I left infants school I had a good grounding. Nowadays I am fluent with a wide vocabulary.

Until recent years I was not aware that adult illiteracy was such a big problem and that women had the biggest problem of all. (Source: BBC TV programmes.)

What would account for this?

Answer 1

Women have long historee of beng infereor to men bothe physicly aand mently. Is to be ecspectid

Answer 2

I would attribute it to not paying attention in school or not being taught properly.

Answer 3

I would say the number one cause was being a female(or male) in a family that does not value education. A lot of the older generation who were able to get by without reading or writing seem to feel that "I did ok so it is not necessary for you to Read or write". Secondly you can have a family that does not encourage reading. Reading is the key to literacy

The more you read the more you know. Also the better a speller you are.   In the last generation a lot of girls

dropped out of school because they were pregnant. They were too busy raising their kids to find time to return to school and learn anything more. It must be very hard and very sad for them not been able to help their kids with their homework or read notes from teachers/report cards. Also I would think as adults they would be very ashamed and try to

not let anyone know they were illiterate. I also don't think this is a generational thing. I have seen questions on this site which lead me to believe that the writers are 'functional illiterate' meaning yes they can read and write a little but not much. I am not talking about using computer or text language but just their general use of English. Lastly I would say that there has not been enough emphasis on the basics of education ie arithmetic tables, the ability to add subtract etc in your head as opposed to using a calculator and also how to read and know the parts of the sentences etc. People think that it is more important to have computer skills. I disagree.

You need the groundwork before you can have the frills and

I think the people in charge of education have forgotten this.

Answer 4

It's not just poor families that feel this way. There are many others that believe that educating girls isn't as important as educating boys. That's because they expect the girls to get married as soon as they are old enough and don't need to learn while boys are expected to get jobs to provide for their families and care for their parents so they do need that education.

Answer 5

Same as for men

Answer 6

Though I find it hard to believe that men still think their more superior. The answer is not feminism nor not paying attention, I think it's because of the old days, when men thought they were superior so they didn't give women education. But I encounter more men that have difficulty with it(not to be sexist)

Answer 7

We must first realize that not all people have the opportunity that others have. For some, going to school comes a distant second to survival. Some have to go out to work at a young age and don't know the value of education until it is too late. Some also lack guidance and proper parenting. Consider yourself privileged.

Answer 8

I would imagine factors include being from an impoverished family and the family not feeling it is important to educate their girls. I know this is a huge problem in China.

Answer 9

First of all, anyone illiterate won't be on TV unless you're talking about Cletus from The Simpsons. Yes, there are lots of ignorant people out there, but it's not just women. There are more highschool dropouts that are male than female. And no "so many" adult females are illiterate. A tiny percentage of people in the US are, and that's counting mentally challenged people and others with mental illnesses. As to your source of BBC, misspronouncing a word or saying a sentence wrong isn't illiteracy, it's nervousness.

Answer 10

Maybe it is the difference in our thinking process?

Women talk more and I see a lot of run on sentences.  I used to grade papers and help people get jobs.  Most of my clients, 90% were women.  Holy grammar Batman, most could not write a simple essay.

To be fair, most only had technical school.  I guess our educational system (in America) has broken down.  I live close to an inner-city and that might account for it.  Most of the guys were just as bad.  

I don't know what it's like in Britain.

Answer 11

because 5chool 5uxor2 it5 1u5t like that l2p nub.