In many societies, regardless of socioeconomic background, young boys are largely encouraged to explore and have adventures, while their female counterparts are taught to focus on life within the home. In adolescence, that conditioning gap continues to widen, as modesty and compliance are instilled as desirable traits for girls, and boys are lauded for entrepreneurship, risk-taking and assertiveness.
As the world expands for boys, it often shrinks for girls.
These limiting gender roles are in direct opposition to data that shows that better-educated women with the ability to make choices about their lives and their families can lift households, communities and nations out of poverty. Equal access to education is a fundamental right, and educated women tend to earn higher incomes, marry at a later age, have smaller and healthier families and stimulate economies. Yet, antiquated and harmful gender roles persist, leaving 132 million girls out of school globally.
What is needed now is the questioning and elimination of limiting societal norms to equip girls and boys with healthy attitudes toward each other and the ability to shape their own lives. This is a need that NGOs can fill, as we are uniquely positioned at the nexus of the public and private sectors to be large-scale drivers of these necessary actions. Here’s how.
Develop Cognitive And Non-Cognitive Skills
For girls, the acquisition of academic skills alone is not enough to succeed outside of the classroom. Young women who prioritize learning are often exposed to strong criticism and backlash from peer groups, families and communities, particularly in conservative settings. For this reason, the development of non-cognitive life skills like confidence, negotiation and decision making are vital for girls who are emboldened to defy existing norms and help shape new ones. When girls learn these skills and how to use them daily, they are better prepared to handle the challenges they may face, from carving out time to study to overcoming gender discrimination in the workplace.
As history has shown, supporting schooling is not enough. NGOs should place as much focus on non-cognitive life skills as traditional academics. A tested life skills curriculum for girls develops competencies such as perseverance, negotiation and communication, and measures girls’ progress toward demonstrating strengths in these areas. When an NGO is able to partner those skills with academics, we can be sure that girls have the tools they need to overcome external impediments to their success.
Instilling financial literacy is also critical to life outcomes. Knowledge of money matters empowers women in all aspects of life, allowing them to be active participants in the economy and vocal in financial decisions that affect their own lives, as well as their families and communities. Women are uniquely positioned to make daily decisions about the allocation of household resources, yet OECD and other studies show that women have less financial knowledge, are less interested in financial issues than men and are less confident in managing personal finances across both middle and low-income countries.
To combat this, NGOs should provide financial education to adolescent girls and contribute to the evidence based on the effectiveness of financial education for young women. For instance, through our Financial Education Life Skills clubs, we teach girls in Sri Lanka and Tanzania about topics like saving, needs versus wants and business management. The aim is to equip girls with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to have increased self-confidence and power over their financial futures.
Co-Create A Gender-Inclusive World
In many communities, males are gatekeepers to power, but gender discussions stay within “women’s networks.” Through their sphere of influence, NGOs can inspire and create gender-transformative programming. This encourages a critical reflection on inequitable gender norms and is needed to shift the attitudes and behaviors of individuals, communities and institutions.
Boys and men should be co-investors in a vision for gender equality, not simply because it is just, but because it’s to their own benefit. Research proves boys receive positive social returns and a higher quality of life in the midst of gender equality. The same gender perceptions that can create obstacles to a girl’s education and future opportunities can also be limiting for boys and young men who are pressured by societal expectations and similarly feel a lack of control over their own lives.
In 1914, Floyd Dell predicted, “Feminism is going to make it possible for the first time for men to be free.” Across sectors, many are continuing to fight for this vision of a gender-equal world where women and men are freed from the constraints limiting their life choices. However, long-lasting change can only happen on a large scale through cross-sectional partnerships that proactively and systematically work with institutions, communities and policymakers to improve and sustain high-quality life outcomes for women and men.
I encourage the development community to harness its ability, within its programs, to systematically and practically demonstrate to governments how gender sensitivity can be implemented within and across systems. We should continue these efforts to foster progress until we achieve our vision of a world in which opportunities for positive life outcomes are not dictated by gender. Potential may be equally distributed, but opportunities are certainly not.
Author Bio Dr. Geetha Murali is the Chief Executive Officer of Room to Read, an organization that believes World Change Starts with Educated Children.® Room to Read envisions a world in which all children can pursue a quality education that enables them to reach their full potential and contribute to their communities and the world.
Originally published at https://www.forbes.com.
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