Education for girls and women is not only a human right, it is also a key factor in the health and functioning of every level of human collective – families, institutions, companies, towns and cities, countries, and the world. As this report from the World Bank makes clear, giving girls and women the opportunity to learn has a direct effect on easing extreme poverty and growing shared prosperity worldwide. As such, the pursuit of this goal benefits every world citizen.

The work toward equity for women in education is far from done – gaps in learning, gender bias, and disparity in access and completion remain for many communities, cultures, and countries. Coaches often see the long-term effects of disparity in their female-identified coachees, no matter how modern a student, their family, or their institution may seem or hope to be. Bias and stereotype threat can often dampen a woman's self-concept and self-efficacy, resulting in poor performance for which the student may blame their ability, setting them back even further. And we cannot make the world work for women without strong, supportive partners who can be fulfilled themselves and be happy with competent women.

Asking questions in this area is a delicate undertaking. However, with care and focus, coaches can help a student explore the forces that may be at work while avoiding assumption and implication. Questions like these are general enough to be considered while inviting potentially productive contemplation:

• How would you describe your ability as a learner or employee?

• What stories have you been told about yourself as a learner and/or an employee?

• What ideas about who you are as a learner might you have picked up from society and culture?

• How does doing well in this course or discipline align with, or clash with, your self-perception in school or work?

• On a scale of 1-10, how much do you feel you "should" succeed in learning this content and/or applying it to your job outside of school?

• How might you let go of a narrative that might keep you from achieving at your capacity? 

• Identify a woman who inspires you to strive, and talk about why. 

• Who in your life best supports your dreams and goals?

Help all of your students build their self-efficacy with a training from LifeBound.

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