“Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide”

The greatest unexploited resource in the world today isn’t oil or gold or wind. It’s women.
While there is no simple economic formula for overcoming global poverty, there is growing evidence that one of the simplest and most effective ways is to educate girls, empower them with knowledge and the ability to make their own decisions, and then help them develop financial independence. That way, they are integrated into their local economy, and potentially, the larger economy of the world.

The first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, Sheryl WuDunn, will share stories that serve as reminders of a fundamental truth about gender injustices around the world: girls aren’t just the problem or the victim; they’re also the solution, and their ingenuity and courage is beginning to spread with many helping hands from the West. There is a growing realization that when you educate a girl, you educate a village. And there are a growing number of ways to tap into this increasingly globalized network of empowering women around the world.

Additional support is provided by the UNL Women’s Center, Center for Civic Engagement, Study of the U.S. Institute on Civic Engagement, and College of Journalism and Mass Communications.