Empowering Adolescent Girls in Developing Countries ─ Gender Justice and Norm Change

Adolescence is a pivotal time in a girl's life, where girls develop a range of political, economic, familial, psychosocial, physical and educational capabilities which will enable them to make their own decisions in life. However, it is also possible that the roles which women and girls are expected to play in their families and communities can prevent girls from developing these capabilities fully. Empowering Adolescent Girls in Developing Countries is the first book to explore the detrimental impact of discriminatory gender norms on all aspects of adolescent girls’ lives and across very different contexts.

Grounded in four years of indepth research across Ethiopia, Nepal, Uganda and Viet Nam, the book adopts a holistic approach to girls' wellbeing, examining the links between different aspects of girls' lives, whilst exploring the different forces that can lead to change in gender norms, such as the spread of mobile technology, economic developments, information campaigns, and new laws on ealy marriage and compulsory education. At a time when adolescent girls' wellbeing and development is becoming an increasing focus for funding and research, this book shows how more egalitarian gender norms can enable disadvantaged adolescent girls to change the course of their lives and develop full capabilities in every area.

Empowering Adolescent Girls in Developing Countries provides a much needed explanation of different understandings and approaches to addressing discriminatory social and gender norms. Accessible and informative, it will be perfect for policy makers, think tanks, NGOs, activists, academics and students of gender and development studies alike.

Caroline Harper is Senior Research Fellow and Head of Programme and leads the Overseas Development?Institute’s work on Social Development, with a focus on gender, age and exclusion.