The Women's Rights Movement in Panama and Nicaragua

Education is one of the necessities that everyone should have access to irrespective of one’s gender. School secondary enrollment is one of the key factors that may hinder an individual from accessing tertiary education which is a prerequisite in different countries for one to occupy the legislative, judiciary and executive seats. School secondary enrollment refers to the total number of students enrolled in a secondary, irrespective of their age divided by the total number of the age group that legitimately corresponds to the same level. Although in the past women’s enrollment to secondary schools has been lower, as the year’s pass by the need for equality and equity in national developments has led to the establishment of programs and policies which allow women to enroll to secondary school. Paxton and Hughes have argued that women’s access to different levels schooling is very crucial as it influences women’s initial participation in the lawmaking process and decision-making process on the stand for office and voting. The two also argue that women’s access to education allows a country to realize the important milestones that women can make once there are in a political arena. Educated women allow democracy to drive in the nation, good laws to be made and service to the community to be delivered (Hughes, 2017) . 

The women’s rights to education in Panama and Nicaragua has constantly been improving; this can be evident in the enrollment of women in secondary schools. Nicaragua, for instance, has seen a rise in female’s enrollment in secondary schools, in 2000 for example 38% of women had enrolled secondary schools and by 2003 the rise was at 42 %. Panama, on the other hand, has had a higher enrollment of women as compared to Nicaragua, in 1999 60% of females had enrolled in secondary education and had increased by 5% in 2002. Regionally though female’s enrollment to secondary education has been increasing, North Africa has been improving its enrollment to education as compared to Latin America, in the 1970s, North Africa started its enrollment at 0.5 and by 2010, it had improved to 0.9 Latin America on the other hand started at 0.95 and improved slightly to 1.2 in 2010. The Middle Eastern countries on the hand increased its enrollment from0.79 in the 1970s and 1.2 in 2010, showing a slight but a better improvement as compared to Latin America. When Latin America’s enrollment rate is compared to the rest of the world then, the rest of the globe has been improving as compared to Latin America. In the 1970s the worlds enrollment was at 0.76, and in 2010 it had improved to 0.98. 

Reference 

Hughes, M. M. (2017). Gender Quotas for Legislatures and Corporate Boards. Annual Review of Sociology, 43, , 331-352.