Women’s higher educational attainment can enhance their lives beyond the scope of employment and finances. Higher education correlates to greater recognition of societal problems and greater confidence in solving them.
“National and statewide studies continue to show that women and girls in Utah are not thriving in critical areas,” a report from A Bolder Way Forward for Utah said.
Furthermore, as of 2026, Utah was ranked the worst state for women’s rights. The question now facing institutions and communities across the state is what role they can play in helping the families and women of Utah.
A Bolder Way Forward for Utah is the statewide initiative started by the Utah Women Leadership Project (UWLP), within Utah State University. The UWLP works to serve and strengthen Utah women, girls and families.
A recent report from the UWLP lays out the benefits of higher education for women and girls which go well beyond simply employment and finances. Looking at these findings through the lens of a Utah educational institution like Brigham Young University (BYU) can contextualize the report’s findings.
The report draws findings from a statewide survey designed to explore Utahns’ recognition and understandings of the issues facing Utah women and girls. The survey showed that higher education increases Utahns' awareness and understanding of community problems such as domestic abuse, homelessness and poverty. It also showed an increase in community member's “confidence in how to address them.”
“Education influences how we see the world, how we decide to engage with the world, how we decide to help other people and lift other people," Dr. Susan Madsen, founder of the UWLP, said. "Education is critical in all those ways.”
The report showed that Utahns with higher education were less likely to believe that women’s political participation was negative for the family. It also showed a likelihood of them seeing poverty and homelessness as systemic issues rather than a result of an individual's choices.
Another portion of the report mentioned that higher education was correlated with greater confidence in making reproductive decisions and greater knowledge of menopause.
Utahns with higher educational attainment were also linked to “more egalitarian attitudes toward family decision making and intimate relationships.” As higher educational attainment increased, the belief that “girls should develop strong math skills increased,” according to the UWLP report.
Dr. Hayley Pierce, a BYU professor of sociology, acknowledged that college students question why they must take classes not directly tied to their majors. She also mentioned that the majority of undergraduate degrees could apply to multiple career paths, explaining that college is a valuable time to develop learning skills.
"Higher education is just a good capacity building experience for any possible future," Pierce said.
Eric Dahlin, a BYU professor of sociology who was the lead author for the higher education report from the UWLP, said the research relates to gaining a BYU education.
"Our findings suggest that higher education can help produce graduates that are able to translate their learning into meaningful service to others," Dahlin said.
This relates to the BYU motto of "enter to learn, go forth to serve."
“I think [BYU] can simultaneously acknowledge the economic reality that a lot of women will work, while acknowledging this kind of religious component that women might not work. So stressing the need for an education to both of those groups is really important,” Pierce said.
The report encompasses the many benefits of higher education, beyond simply getting a job.
“[Higher education] influences how I engage with my family, how I engage with my church, how I engage with my workplace,” Madsen said.
This was linked to the report, which stated that higher education was connected to “deeper engagement in community life” and “stronger confidence navigating social institutions.”
Ultimately, higher educational attainment positively impacts the lives of Utah women and their families.