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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Delivering Impact For Adolescent Girls: Emerging Findings From Population Council Research, Population Council
Delivering Impact For Adolescent Girls: Emerging Findings From Population Council Research, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Despite numerous global commitments to invest in improving the lives of adolescent girls, questions remain as to what package of interventions can deliver the best outcomes. This report synthesizes findings from nine recent Population Council impact evaluations, conducted around the world, which indicate that empowerment and asset-building interventions for adolescent girls can improve education, health, economic, social capital, gender-equitable attitude, and violence outcomes for girls. The report includes implications for programs and investment, and identifies open questions for further research and evaluation.
Girlsread! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Barbara Mensch, Pamela Nyirenda, Diana Bulanda-Shalala
Girlsread! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Barbara Mensch, Pamela Nyirenda, Diana Bulanda-Shalala
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This curriculum guide is designed to help female mentors in the GirlsRead! program in Zambia to directly engage girls in critical thinking about gender inequalities and discrimination, and help them build the assets and confidence needed to act on their own behalf and as progressive voices in their communities. GirlsRead! participants are girls in grade 7—the last year of primary school—when they are at high risk of leaving school. The curriculum includes 19 sessions that cover a range of topics from gender equality to sexuality to rights, in meetings that provide a space and opportunity for girls to regularly interact …
Girlsread! E-Reader Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Abdul-Kahad Alhassan, Beatrice Ani-Asamoah, Pamela Nyirenda, Barbara Mensch
Girlsread! E-Reader Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Abdul-Kahad Alhassan, Beatrice Ani-Asamoah, Pamela Nyirenda, Barbara Mensch
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Zambian adolescent girls are at risk for premature school leaving and HIV infection due to a host of contextual factors including child marriage, early childbearing, harmful gender norms, and intimate partner violence. This report describes the GirlsRead! program, whose overall goal is to enhance learning and increase progression to secondary school among Zambian adolescent girls in grade 7, the last year of primary school. Through GirlsRead!, the Population Council, together with FAWEZA and Worldreader are aiming to improve school retention by bolstering girls’ learning outcomes, furthering social connections, improving critical thinking skills, increasing agency, and fostering community norms supportive of …
Forced Child Unions: From Legal Reform To Social Disruption—Formative Research In Five Communities In Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés
Forced Child Unions: From Legal Reform To Social Disruption—Formative Research In Five Communities In Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Evidence has shown that child early and forced marriage/unions (CEFM/U) are harmful to the rights and development of girls and adolescents. It has also shown that increasing the minimum marriage age is not enough to eradicate this phenomenon because of the underlying practices of social institutions at the community level. This report details an investigation undertaken when a modification to the Civil Code was approved, then modified, in order to increase the minimum age of marriage in Guatemala. The investigation aimed to identify the norms, practices, and attitudes prevailing in the school, family, religion, government, and economy with regard to …
'Her Future Is Marriage': Young People's Attitudes Towards Gender Roles And The Gender Gap In Egypt, Maia Sieverding, Rasha Hassan
'Her Future Is Marriage': Young People's Attitudes Towards Gender Roles And The Gender Gap In Egypt, Maia Sieverding, Rasha Hassan
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report examines youth gender-role attitudes in Egypt using quantitative data, from the nationally representative Survey of Young People in Egypt 2009 and 2014, which provides a broad overview of youth gender-role attitudes throughout the country and among different subpopulations of youth. Qualitative data complements this analysis by offering a more in-depth view of how young people think about men and women’s roles in society and why they hold these beliefs. The findings also highlight the extent to which conservative attitudes of gender relations may influence practices even in the face of legal change. Gender-role attitudes are a deeply held …
Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth In Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor
Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth In Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Nationally, the sex ratio at birth has persisted at its natural level of 105 male per 100 female newborns for the past half century in Bangladesh. However, at the regional level, Bangladesh is characterized by an east-west divide in sex ratios at birth. While the western region shows normal sex ratios at birth, the eastern region displays distorted sex ratios. To understand the factors that contribute to regional variations, a household survey was conducted among married women aged 18–49 years who had at least two living children. Views of health-care providers on gender-biased sex selection and of program implementers on …
Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth And Exploring What Works To Achieve Balance: The Situation In Selected Districts Of Nepal, Mahesh Puri, Anand Tamang
Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth And Exploring What Works To Achieve Balance: The Situation In Selected Districts Of Nepal, Mahesh Puri, Anand Tamang
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The goal of this study is to identify programs and sociocultural factors underlying disparities in sex ratios at birth in some parts of Nepal, by comparing the situation in districts with high and normal sex ratios at birth and among under-5 children. Findings are expected to inform the design of programs intended to raise the value of girls in general and counter the practice of gender-biased sex selection in particular. The study was conducted in two adjoining hill districts of the western development region of Nepal, namely Kaski (where sex ratios are adverse) and Tanhaun (where sex ratios are normal). …
Addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection In Haryana, India: Promising Approaches, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Sharmistha Basu, A.J. Francis Zavier
Addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection In Haryana, India: Promising Approaches, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Sharmistha Basu, A.J. Francis Zavier
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Persistently adverse sex ratios remain a challenge in India despite the enforcement of the PCPNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act in 1994. Nevertheless, over the decade 2001–2011, positive shifts from very adverse to less adverse levels have occurred in a few states. Two districts in Haryana state—Kurukshetra and Sonipat—whose sex ratios displayed some and no improvement, respectively, are compared in an attempt to find promising programme directions to counter gender-biased sex selection. Comparisons are drawn from the attitudes and experiences of surveyed women and interviews with service providers and programme implementers, about sex-selection technology. Also addressed are differences in …
Evidence Of Son Preference And Resulting Demographic And Health Outcomes In Pakistan, Zeba Sathar, Gul Rashida, Sabahat Hussain, Anushe Hassan
Evidence Of Son Preference And Resulting Demographic And Health Outcomes In Pakistan, Zeba Sathar, Gul Rashida, Sabahat Hussain, Anushe Hassan
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Pakistan has a highly patriarchal society. Consequently, the desire for sons is a dominant and widely prevalent cultural value that is reinforced by feudal kinship systems that permeate many parts of the country. While reliance on sons is stronger in rural areas because of agricultural work and the tying of land ownership with male inheritance, even in other areas boys are seen to be important in carrying on the family name and taking care of parents in old age. On the other hand, daughters are seen as an expense and an economic burden in both rural and urban areas. A …
Gender-Biased Sex Selection In India: A Review Of The Situation And Interventions To Counter The Practice, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sharmistha Basu, Rajib Acharya, A.J. Francis Zavier
Gender-Biased Sex Selection In India: A Review Of The Situation And Interventions To Counter The Practice, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sharmistha Basu, Rajib Acharya, A.J. Francis Zavier
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report on gender-biased sex selection in India is divided into six chapters, including an introduction in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes the laws and policies adopted by India to address gender-biased sex selection, as well as those intended to support and empower women and girls. Chapter 3 analyzes the trends and geographic variation in the sex ratio at birth and in the child sex ratio. Chapter 4 briefly describes the socioeconomic differences and factors underlying distorted sex ratios and gender-biased sex selection in India, and the social consequences of these practices. Experiences in implementing the PCPNDT Act, initiatives intended …
Assessing Equity Of Access In Programs For Young People, Adam Weiner
Assessing Equity Of Access In Programs For Young People, Adam Weiner
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Young people aged 10–19 make up almost 20 percent of the population in less developed regions. This vast, highly diverse population faces a variety of threats that could disrupt their healthy transition to adulthood, including early marriage and childbearing, school leaving, violence, exploitation, unemployment, and HIV/AIDS. The majority of youth programs fail to reach the most vulnerable; most programs are only accessible to those with greater levels of social and human capital, such as an education or friendship networks. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 28 describes how the Population Council, recognizing the need for generating …
Factors Of Career Mobility In Egypt By Gender, May Gadallah
Factors Of Career Mobility In Egypt By Gender, May Gadallah
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This Population Council working paper describes the opportunity cost of women’s participation in the labor market in Egypt, a critical determinant of not only participating in the labor market, but also of continuing in it. The paper observes career mobility and job-to-job turnover by gender; it also looks at career development over a period of time and analyzes the impact of different factors on career development. The importance of the results increases with the privatization trend in the Egyptian economy. Findings show that 90 percent of women work in the public sector where career paths are similar regardless of gender; …
Hazards And Gender In Children's Work: An Egyptian Perspective, Nadia Zibani
Hazards And Gender In Children's Work: An Egyptian Perspective, Nadia Zibani
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Girls and boys can and do work. They work for a variety of reasons related to poverty or failures in educational systems, and they work to support themselves and their families or to learn skills for future careers. The types of work carried out by children often differ according to the gender of the child. Additionally, the hazards they face in their work can also be differentiated on the basis of gender. The present study attempts to develop a better understanding of the gender aspects of children’s work with a particular focus on the gender-differentiated hazards that exist therein. This …
Reducing The Social Exclusion Of Girls, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Reducing The Social Exclusion Of Girls, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Across the globe, girls are systematically excluded from participation in social, economic, and political life. The absence of girls in these arenas has implications not only for the young women themselves but also for society as a whole, exacerbating poverty and perpetuating disparities in health, education, and economic achievement. Internationally, this marginalization makes it difficult or impossible for some countries to achieve society-wide goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals identified by the United Nations as benchmarks to reduce poverty. For a number of years, the Population Council has been studying the causes and effects of girls’ social exclusion in …
Reducir La Exclusión Social Des Las Niñas, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Reducir La Exclusión Social Des Las Niñas, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
En todo el mundo, las niñas son sistemáticamente excluidas de la participación en la vida social, económica y política. La ausencia de niñas en estos terrenos tiene consecuencias, no solo para las mismas jóvenes sino también para la sociedad en su totalidad, ya que se exacerba la pobreza y se perpetúan las disparidades de salud, educación y éxito económico. A nivel internacional, esta marginación dificulta o hace imposible que algunos países logren objetivos en toda la sociedad, como los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, considerados por las Naciones Unidas como parámetros para reducir la pobreza. Desde hace algunos años, el …
Multiple Disadvantages Of Mayan Females: The Effects Of Gender, Ethnicity, Poverty, And Residence On Education In Guatemala, Kelly Hallman, Sara Peracca, Jennifer Catino, Marta Julia Ruiz
Multiple Disadvantages Of Mayan Females: The Effects Of Gender, Ethnicity, Poverty, And Residence On Education In Guatemala, Kelly Hallman, Sara Peracca, Jennifer Catino, Marta Julia Ruiz
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Although access to primary education in Guatemala has increased in recent years, particularly in rural areas, levels of educational attainment and literacy remain among the lowest in Latin America. Inequalities in school access and grade attainment linked to ethnicity, gender, poverty, and residence remain. Age trends show that Mayan females are the least likely to ever enroll, and, if they do enroll, start school the latest and drop out earliest. Innovative programs for girls that combine instruction with social interaction in safe local community spaces may increase their educational attainment and their social networks and means of social support. In …
Socialization To Gender Roles And Marriage Among Egyptian Adolescents, Barbara Mensch, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Susan M. Lee, Omaima El-Gibaly
Socialization To Gender Roles And Marriage Among Egyptian Adolescents, Barbara Mensch, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Susan M. Lee, Omaima El-Gibaly
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Using nationally representative survey data, this paper explores gender role socialization and attitudes toward marriage among unmarried Egyptian adolescents aged 16-19 years. We examine the daily activities of adolescent boys and girls, views about age at marriage and desirable qualities in a spouse, and various indicators of gender role attitudes including opinions about whether wives should defer to husbands, about sharing household decisionmaking, and about responsibility for domestic tasks. Our findings reflect strong gender differentiation: girls have much less free time than boys, are much less mobile, are much less likely to participate in paid work, and have heavier domestic …
Gender Differences In The Schooling Experiences Of Adolescents In Low-Income Countries: The Case Of Kenya, Barbara Mensch, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Gender Differences In The Schooling Experiences Of Adolescents In Low-Income Countries: The Case Of Kenya, Barbara Mensch, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Little research on education in developing countries has focused on adolescent issues at the same time, despite the fact that a growing proportion of young people are spending some time in school during the phase of their lives between puberty and marriage, there is little research on schooling as a key dimension of the adolescent experience. This paper examines the school environment in Kenya and the potential ways it can help or hinder adolescents. We focus on gender differences with a view toward illuminating some of the factors that may present particular obstacles or opportunities for girls. The paper begins …
Family, Gender, And Population Policy: Views From The Middle East, Jodi Jacobson
Family, Gender, And Population Policy: Views From The Middle East, Jodi Jacobson
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This paper explores the relevance of international debates to the realities of the Middle East, an important but understudied region that has often been subject to stereotyping. The region’s wealth of traditions and diverse contemporary experience offer insights to those who venture beyond the surface appearance. This paper provides a broad introduction to the connections between family, gender, and population policy in the Middle East. It is based on studies by a diverse group of Middle East scholars and the discussions they generated in Cairo at an international symposium sponsored by the Population Council in February 1994. The paper was …
Gender Inequalities And Demographic Behavior: Ghana/Kenya, Anastasia J. Gage, Wamucii Njogu
Gender Inequalities And Demographic Behavior: Ghana/Kenya, Anastasia J. Gage, Wamucii Njogu
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Ghana and Kenya were the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa whose governments recognized the potentially detrimental effects of rapid population growth on economic development and, as a result, adopted and implemented national population policies. This is one of three reports on the relationship between gender equity, family structure and dynamics, and the achievement of reproductive choice that was prepared by the Population Council for the 1994 International Year of the Family and the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. These reports provide critical reviews of the relationship between gender inequality and demographic behavior in three demographically significant, culturally distinct …
Gender Inequalities And Demographic Behavior: India, Sonalde Desai
Gender Inequalities And Demographic Behavior: India, Sonalde Desai
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
As India prepares for the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), it is clear that the country’s population policy faces a number of serious challenges. Although India was the first country to announce an official family planning program in 1952, its population has grown from 361 million in 1951 to 844 million in 1991. This is one of three reports on the relationship between gender equity, family structure and dynamics, and the achievement of reproductive choice prepared by the Population Council for the 1994 International Year of the Family and the 1994 ICPD. These reports provide critical reviews …
Family, Gender, And Population Policy: Views From The Middle East [Arabic], Jodi Jacobson, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Carla Makhlouf Obermeyer
Family, Gender, And Population Policy: Views From The Middle East [Arabic], Jodi Jacobson, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Carla Makhlouf Obermeyer
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This paper explores the relevance of international debates to the realities of the Middle East, an important but understudied region that has often been subject to stereotyping. The region’s wealth of traditions and diverse contemporary experience offer insights to those who venture beyond the surface appearance. This paper provides a broad introduction to the connections between family, gender, and population policy in the Middle East. It is based on studies by a diverse group of Middle East scholars and the discussions they generated in Cairo at an international symposium sponsored by the Population Council in February 1994. The paper was …