Farah Isahack, Contributor
Featured image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The subject of illiteracy among women has not been talked about enough and it is time to change that. Adults who are illiterate or have low literacy have been shamed as beings of idiocy or laziness in today’s society, unless they seek to improve themselves or merge into the mainstream education system. In Canadian society alone it is noted that four out of 10 adults’ literacy skills are too low to be fully competent for most jobs in the economy.
Illiteracy rates among racialized women have a critical effect in Canadian society. To be an immigrant to Canada, one must be capable of learning a language outside of their mother tongue, if not English or French, and be able to adapt to the new economic structure in place here.
What many seem to overlook about immigrants in Western society is that a majority are coming from situations of poverty, political upheaval, or social structures that have not allowed them to seek further education.
Literacy is a fundamental right for all, but in regions where agendas of domestication are pushed onto women, literacy and higher-education do not become a priority.
Before jumping to theories, it is important to note the life of a lot of immigrant women and how they have adapted into Canadian society. It has become necessary that women provide the domesticated services they have been trained to do, under the sacrifice of an education. Unpaid domestic labour that goes on in the home is often considered invaluable.
A lot of people in Western society and in our current generation are used to having the ability to read and write. Many cannot imagine what it feels like to look at something and not be able to understand it. You may say, well then go out and learn, but once these women come of age they take the knowledge and notion they learned in their home country and migrate to Canada, and start a new life.
They come here for work and to start a family. You will find a lot of immigrant women and men working in factory settings because more often than not, the job does not require a lot of comprehension for reading and writing, but rather is more labour focused.
Once these women marry and start a family, the structure in the household changes to focus not just on themselves but on their children. These women tend to put themselves second to their children, and education is prioritized for their child. Over time, their notion of improvement gets lost, because they become roped into a routine of work and home life, and the idea for a second chance at literacy is put on the back burner.
But the stigma of women not having that ability is still in place. Women who do not have the skills that modern education provides lose the ability and skill set that they could have had to manage their own income and expenditure. Children of literate mothers are known to be more likely to complete their education.
Does this mean we need to start forcing people to take educational tests and literacy examinations before entering the country? No. That is only fueling the taboo around the whole topic. What needs to be done is accepting the fact that they are people who’ve had to sacrifice more than they’ve had to gain, especially these women.
This is still an empowerment movement for women. Even though some women may lack mainstream education in Canadian society, they still provide for themselves and their families in the best way that they can. They are not lesser beings because they didn’t get the chance at modern education. You wouldn’t make fun of an individual in a wheelchair, therefore there should be no hatred or fuel for ignorance against women for their disposition.
Instead, please praise them and encourage more women to better themselves and take a second chance at learning. What many miss when they cross paths with a person who is illiterate is the fact that in a society built upon languages and literature, despite them not being able to fully comprehend what is being written, they still made a life and have overcome that barrier. Women who have this trait are no less than women who have the educational means to succeed in life through positions greater than their own.
A factory job does not under any circumstances demean you as lesser than others, because what many forget is that we are all striving towards supporting ourselves and others. These women face this stigma harsher than anyone else, and they still stand strong and make it through a lifestyle that does not accept their lesser implication. So stop shaming them, start praising them, and help them when you can. Take an interest in adult illiteracy because many people have family and friends who are going through this and everyone deserve a second chance.
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