
Roma women: they need an education
Desperate poverty – combined with traditions such as early marriage and the belief that girls should care for younger siblings – means that many Roma girls leave school at 10. So what can be done to help them?
This article says eastern European Roma women often drop out of school at age 10.
Florina dropped out of education when she was 10 – the average age at which Roma girls leave school. Illiterate and unskilled, any job she does secure is likely to be for minimal pay.
Studies into the status of Roma women in eastern Europe suggest that Florina is not alone. While the educational divide between Roma and non-Roma populations is stark, within the community, it is women who fare worst.
Diana finds out that life with an older man isn’t what she had hoped it would be. Does she have other relatives here? Could she have sent her daughter away to have a more traditional life? For some gypsies, 10 or 11 is the age where girls leave school, to learn more traditional roles.
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