Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Ron. That was really insightful what you said at the end: that the extemists who oppress girls and prevent them from going to school also believe in the power of education. Now, one nuance of empowering girls, particularly in developing countries, while ignoring the men and their other forms of oppression is that it creates a crack in the society where the girls are liberated but the men not, and the men start to feel inferior to them, which sometimes makes them try to assert control, further oppressing the girls who are now more conscious of their oppression but unequipped to fight it in a socially acceptable or harmonious manner. What constitutes removing this oppression? Education does not remove it, but it makes girls aware of it. It might make them fight it, but most probably at the loss of social harmony. Which could be a good thing, but it could be a bad thing, too, when it means increased rates of divorce, etc. Gender oppression is actually the one that does NOT go away. The oppressor remains half of the population. Laws do not change ingrained cultural beliefs and attitudes. What do you think?