Young women across the globe face significant barriers to education and employment. This issue doesn’t just appear out of nowhere in early adulthood. Adolescent girls are twice as likely as adolescent boys to be not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Their gender plays a key role in why they miss out on opportunities to learn, due to child marriage, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, or the disproportionate burden of unpaid caregiving that falls on them. 

Girls and young women not only lose the opportunity to have an education, but also opportunities for personal growth, skills development and economic independence. Gender-transformative approaches aim to address these disparities caused by structural and social root issues of gender inequality. For initiatives stemming from this approach to be effective, adolescent girls and young women must be involved and engaged in shaping them. 

Equipped with the skills and confidence to conduct research on issues related to girls’ education, skills development, and employment opportunities, the young female researchers, part of the first cohort in India, have begun their fieldwork in their communities. By gathering data and engaging with their peers, the researchers will identify barriers that young women face in accessing digital skills training, especially in contexts where gender norms often restrict girls’ access to learning opportunities. By the end of 2024, the researchers’ insights will start to inform how programs like GESP and Skills4Girls can better meet the needs of young women in the countries where the initiatives operate. 

Read the full article here.