Milken Institute School of Public Health Poster Presentations (Marvin Center & Video)
Investing in Girls: Do Gender Perception and Attitudes Matter?
Poster Number
92
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
3-2016
Abstract
Background: India is one of the most challenging nations to be a girl and gender discrimination is pervasive across a girls’ lifespan. The prevalence of child marriage, maternal mortality, violence, and malnutrition are particularly high in India. Further, 40% of girls do not make it past class 8. When a community invests in a girl’s education, she marries later, experiences less violence, and has healthier children. Understanding gender norms and attitudes is critical to addressing programs and policies that ensure healthy and educated girls and women.
Methods: A representative sample of adults (n=1607) ages 18 to 65 living in urban/peri-urban regions of eight states in India was recruited for a cross-sectional survey. The survey instrument measured attitudes toward gender, perceptions of secondary education, and perceived self-efficacy. Descriptive analyses will be conducted to assess overall perceptions and attitudes towards gender equality and girls’ education, and whether they vary by gender, age, socioeconomic class, number/gender of children.
Results to date: Preliminary analyses suggest variability in attitudes toward gender and education by socioeconomic class, gender, and age. Women and participants ages 50 to 65 were significantly more likely than men and younger participants to identify the importance of a girl’s education. Participants ages 50 to 65 were more likely to have positive attitudes toward girls’ education than younger participants.
Conclusions: Findings from this study will provide insight on attitudes toward gender and girls’ education, which is critical to the development of interventions and policy. Further, results will guide the development of more robust and reliable gender attitude scales specific to adolescent girls.
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Open Access
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Investing in Girls: Do Gender Perception and Attitudes Matter?
Background: India is one of the most challenging nations to be a girl and gender discrimination is pervasive across a girls’ lifespan. The prevalence of child marriage, maternal mortality, violence, and malnutrition are particularly high in India. Further, 40% of girls do not make it past class 8. When a community invests in a girl’s education, she marries later, experiences less violence, and has healthier children. Understanding gender norms and attitudes is critical to addressing programs and policies that ensure healthy and educated girls and women.
Methods: A representative sample of adults (n=1607) ages 18 to 65 living in urban/peri-urban regions of eight states in India was recruited for a cross-sectional survey. The survey instrument measured attitudes toward gender, perceptions of secondary education, and perceived self-efficacy. Descriptive analyses will be conducted to assess overall perceptions and attitudes towards gender equality and girls’ education, and whether they vary by gender, age, socioeconomic class, number/gender of children.
Results to date: Preliminary analyses suggest variability in attitudes toward gender and education by socioeconomic class, gender, and age. Women and participants ages 50 to 65 were significantly more likely than men and younger participants to identify the importance of a girl’s education. Participants ages 50 to 65 were more likely to have positive attitudes toward girls’ education than younger participants.
Conclusions: Findings from this study will provide insight on attitudes toward gender and girls’ education, which is critical to the development of interventions and policy. Further, results will guide the development of more robust and reliable gender attitude scales specific to adolescent girls.
Comments
Presented at: GW Research Days 2016