Ensuring girls’ empowerment to improve education outcome: harnessing the gatekeepers

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Girls’ empowerment is inextricably linked to girls’ education, and vice-versa. True empowerment involves increasing girls’ capacities to defend their rights and make informed, judicious decisions, as well as fostering environments in which girls are able to exercise their voices. From an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1988) the enabling environment is comprised of the overlapping and interconnected settings within which girls are embedded, and within which they attain education and livelihoods outcomes. Girls sit at the heart of this ecological system. But girls, especially adolescents (12-18 years) are embedded within peer groups, families, and communities, which are in turn embedded within the large socio-cultural and political system of the labor market (Dejaeghere & Baxter, 2014; Flynn et al., 2017). Focusing strategically on peer groups, families, and communities can have a positive impact on education and livelihood outcomes for adolescent girls, especially in rural communities in low- and middle-income countries (Dejaeghere & Baxter, 2014; France et al., 2016; Youth Business International, 2016; Youth Policy Labs, 2015). Several policy documents also point out the importance of targeting the social embeddedness of girls in livelihood development programming (ILO, 2015; Olenik et al., 2013; UNDP, 2014). But programs have yet to catch up (Youth Policy Labs, 2015). We need to go “beyond looking at how social relationships have instrumental value. It must include a focus on young people’s social position, both within the family and in society at large” (Flynn et al., 2017, p.39). This panel will focus on the importance of work to foster enabling environments, through work with mentors, families, and communities, as well as work with adolescent girls themselves to increase skills and competencies.

Sub Unit

• Committee: Gender & Education

Individual Presentations

• The impact of life skills education and mentoring on girls’ life outcomes: results from alumnae surveys and a tracer study - Linda Tran, Room to Read; Lucina Di Meco, Room to Read

• Shifting gender norms among parents, teachers, and community members in order to promote girls’ education outcomes - Sarah Press, Save the Children; Jane Leer, Save the Children - USA

• What works to build adolescent girls’ knowledge, skills and competencies? Experimental evidence from Niger - Amy Ibold, Mery Corps

Discussant

• Meridith Gould, Independent Consultant