Effects of gender norms, gender attitudes, and self-efficacy on education outcomes of adolescent girls in Wajir, Kenya

• In Event: Education, Difference and Development (I)

Proposal

Introduction: In Kenya, girls face daunting challenges ranging from financial constraints, high poverty levels, early marriages, and unwanted pregnancies. To increase inclusion, provide equitable opportunities to girls, education stakeholders need to focus on eliminating barriers that girls encounter in society. Barriers include gender norms, characterized by values, attitudes, perceptions and roles embedded in systems and social structures that negatively affect education opportunities, women’s well-being, gender equity, and women’s economic development.
Methods: This paper uses data from the Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya, a randomized trial that followed adolescent girls (11–14 years) over 4 years (when aged 15–18). A total of 1881 girls who were in school during the study period were included in this analysis. The intervention was provided through a conditional cash transfer to households based on school enrollment and attendance. We sought to understand (a) How gender norms, gender attitudes affect school transition and retention for adolescents in Wajir, Kenya, and b) How gender norms, gender attitudes, and self-efficacy capital mediate the effect of a cash transfer plus intervention on girls’ educational outcomes (transition, retention) at upper primary and secondary school levels. We used logistic regression and structural equation modeling to answer the research questions.
Results: The mean age of the girls at baseline was 11.8 years. Self-efficacy (aOR=1.063; 95% CI: 1.004, 1.126) and gender attitudes (aOR=1.155; 95% CI: 1.041, 1.280) were positively associated with school transition. There was a significant association between gender attitudes and school retention (aOR=1.173; 95% CI: 1.061, 1.296). Mediation analysis showed that girls who received the cash plus intervention had higher odds of school retention and progression than girls who did not receive the intervention. There was no significant mediation of gender norms, gender attitudes, and self-efficacy on the effect of the intervention on school outcomes.
Conclusion: Overall, the findings indicate that gender attitudes and self-efficacy are closely related with improved school retention and transition. The conditional cash transfer
provided through the AGIK intervention positively affected school retention and transition. Multi-sectoral interventions involving cash transfer and other economic empowerment components in rural and marginalized communities will help improve girls’ schooling outcomes.

Authors

• Nelson Kipkoech Langat, African Population And Health Research Center

• Elisheba Kiru, The University of Texas at Austin