This week, I want to talk to you all about a subject that I am surprised I haven’t brought up earlier: feminism. Now, before you all roll your eyes to the back of your head, ask yourself, “Do I even know what feminism means?” If you’re annoyed at the thought of the word, chances are you don’t know. So let me give you the breakdown.

Feminism: (noun) the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

And in case you didn’t know, feminism goes beyond equal pay.

On October 11th, International Day of the Girl took place – declared by the United Nations. This observance is meant to raise awareness about not only the inequality girls face worldwide, but also the straight up injustices. From educational rights to legal, nutritional, and even medical rights – girls everywhere, to some degree, are still not protected and face severe discrimination because of their gender.

However, it’s not all bad. The day is also meant to celebrate and support girls and young women all over – and encourage them to reclaim their space and implement themselves fully into society.

I could sit here for hours and talk about all the issues girls and women face on a daily basis. But, I’m going to try and not make this article super lengthy, so I’ll only talk about educational rights (for now).

According to a speech by Michelle Obama, more than 62 million girls around the world have no access to education. In many places around the world, a lack of education for girls puts them at absolute risk for sexual violence, child marriages, etc.

In an article released by the United Nations Children’s Relief Fund (UNICEF), giving girls an education helps break the cycle of poverty, makes girls less likely to marry young or die in childbirth, and they become more likely to send their own children to school.

Does that make education the key to all the problems girls face? Maybe. However, I believe it goes deeper than just sending girls to school. I think it also begins by educating young boys in an effort to prevent them from internalizing patriarchal or misogynistic values. We have to break the cycle from every angle.

On the topic of education, I’d like to do a tiny plug for one of my favorite movies: Mona Lisa Smile. Starring Julia Roberts and set in the 1950’s, this film is centered around a free-thinking professor that tries to challenge the traditional social roles of women at an all-girls institution: Wellesley College.

In the film, the young women attending the college – who are labeled as some of the smartest women in the country – have one goal. It includes finding an appropriate suitor and getting married. Getting married was seen as an absolute accomplishment. It also meant they could slack in school and not further their education because they now have other “duties.” The professor -Julia Roberts- pushes for the girls to see a new perspective.

As the African proverb goes: “If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”

That’s right. Who run the world?