Jahani Yekta, Mohammad Mahdi2025-09-242025-09-242013[1] King, E. and Hill, A. 1995. Women’s Education in Developing Countries: Barriers, Benefits, and Policies. Baltimore, USA, Johns Hopkins University Press. [2] National Education Partnership (NEP). 2007. Education Watch Cambodia: Summary Report on the Impact of Informal School Fees. Manila: ASPBAE. [3] SIL Partners in Language development. 2001. International Literacy Day Factsheet. [4] World Bank. 2011. World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development. Washington DC, World Bank. [5] UNFPA. 2011. UNFPA Annual Report 2010. UNFPA. [6] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2011. The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011. Women in Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development. Rome, FAO.https://repository.ifla.org/handle/20.500.14598/5191The cultural, economic, and social status in some areas of the Asia-Oceania region has led to poor literacy levels among the women community. Considerable gender gaps in literacy exist in these countries, especially among girls from low-budget families, rural communities and ethnic minorities, as well as those living in conflict zones. This paper discusses the obstacles to literacy achievement of women in the Asia-Oceania region, and presents the benefits that literacy offers. Section 2 presents an overview on the status of illiteracy in the Asia-Oceania region, and points to the gender gaps in literacy achievement. Section 3 discusses thoroughly the obstacles, while the benefits of literacy for women are highlighted in Section 4. Section 5 focuses on the role of libraries in improving literacy, and presents several strategies to be used in this context. These strategies include a broad range of ideas, such as policy-making trends; provision of high quality education; collection and analysis of disaggregated literacy data; development of locally-relevant and learner-oriented literacy programs, as well as educational materials and learning assessment tools; development of education in mother-tongue languages; acting as the jointing points of governments and civil society organizations; development of facilities to encourage women’s participation in literacy programs; development of society-based literacy environments; integration and effective implementation of literacy in plans; and finally, allocation of sufficient funds for women’s literacy programs.enAttribution 3.0 Unportedhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Articlehttp://2013.ifla.orgopen accessWomen’s literacyAsia-Oceania regionliteracy obstaclesliteracy benefitslibrary strategies