Adolescent Girls’ Voices on Enhancing their own Productivity

  • R Research Project/Report/Study

I Inactive

Key Information

Of the 11 million adolescent girls aged 15–19 years in Pakistan, 6 million reside in the province of Punjab. About 37 percent of these girls are neither at school, nor employed for pay or profit, and they have not yet made the transition to marriage. The study was conducted in nine urban and rural communities in three districts (Kasur, Rajanpur and Faisalabad) of Punjab province to examine the lives, aspirations, and perspectives of the largely invisible and marginalized group of older adolescent girls (ages 15–19 years) who are “not in education, employment for pay or profit, nor in marriage” (“NEEM”). The study seeks to identify the reasons for the exclusion of the NEEM girls from education and participation in paid work; explore opportunities and avenues for changing these girls’ existing opportunity structures; and probe the gender norms and behaviors underlying their marginalization to obtain insights into what it would take to change their situation. The study is mainly qualitative, based on 40 focus group discussions conducted separately with NEEM girls and their mothers and fathers, 40 in-depth interviews with NEEM girls and 9 informal interviews with potential employers. In addition, secondary data has been analyzed to build a picture of the life trajectories of older adolescents (ages 15–19 years) in each of the three districts, including segmentation by gender, urban-rural residence, and wealth index status. About 232 adolescent girls, 180 mothers, and 9 local employers participated in these exchanges.


Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

South Asia

Pakistan

Government Affiliation

Non-governmental program

Years

2017 - 2018

Ministry Affiliation

Unknown

COVID-19 Response

Unknown

Geographic Scope

National

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Primary enrollment

Other skills

  • Rights/empowerment education

Quality

  • School quality
  • School-related gender-based violence

Cross-cutting areas

  • Menstrual hygiene management
  • Other
  • Other cultural practices
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Fathers, Girls (both in school and out of school), Youth

Age

15 - 19

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Pre-school
  • Lower primary
  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary

Other populations reached

Not applicable or unknown

Participants include

  • Other

Program Approaches Back to Top

Access to school

  • Alternative learning centers/mobile schools/home schools
  • Extending school hours
  • Improving transportation

Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization

  • Community mobilization

Reducing economic barriers

  • Conditional cash transfers (including non-cash goods) to individuals/households
  • Income-generating activities
  • Scholarships/stipends for school fees

School-related gender-based violence

  • Anti-violence policies and codes of conduct

Social/gender norms change

  • Engaging parents/caregivers of students or school-age children/adolescents
  • Work with community leaders
  • Work with religious leaders

Women's empowerment programs

  • Self-help groups (financial, including savings and credit groups)

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
  • Increased progression to secondary school
  • Increased re-enrolment in school among out-of-school children
  • Reduced grade repetition

Cross-cutting goals

  • Increased agency and empowerment
  • Increased employment/job-related skills
  • Increased knowledge of rights
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms
  • Reduced poverty/increase household well-being
  • Reduced school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)

Additional Information Back to Top

Primary Contact

Iram Kamran
Program Manager
ikamran@popcouncil.org