Sabanci Foundation Chair of the Board of Trustees Guler Sabanci's Special Message for the International Day of the Girl Child: "We Managed to School Ayse Together with Ali, Yet Ali is the Only One Who Graduates"

Speaking on the occasion of October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child, declared by the United Nations in 2011 upon the proposal of Turkey, Sabancı Foundation Chair of the Board of Trustees Güler Sabancı drew attention to the significance of the participation of girls in education and social life. Emphasizing that although the rate of schooling among girls has improved in recent years, their level of school attendance is not sufficient, Sabancı stated: “In the 2002-2003 period, for every 100 boy schooled, there were 88 girls schooled in primary school whereas this rate reached 97 in the 2015-2016 period. While this rise gives us hope, we still have a long distance to cover. That is because schooling of girls alone is not enough and it is a must for girls starting school to continue their education and graduate from their schools. Girls need to graduate from their schools to participate in social life and to have a job when they grow up.”

Referring to TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data in her statement, Sabancı said the following: “In Turkey, the number of high school graduate females is way behind that of males. 2014 data shows that while 41% of men aged 25 and above completed high school education or a higher level of education, this rate is merely 28% for women of the same age range. We see that this gap also exists among college graduates or graduates of faculty. The inequality in education indeed reflects seriously on the employment rate of women. Unfortunately, women’s participation in labor force is below 40% in Turkey. In brief, Ali and Ayşe go to school and fill in school desks yet, eventually, it is Ali who receives a diploma and gets a job.”

“Women’s participation in education, employment and social life is a sine qua non for Turkey’s development”

Remarking that supporting and empowering girls is the main issue that we have to address and find an urgent solution to as a society, Sabancı added: “Among the topics we focus on as Sabancı Foundation, girls is the most significant one. Women’s participation in education, employment and social life is a sine qua non for Turkey’s development. To ensure this, we all must be sensitive about gender equality and must do our part accordingly.”