We only use your email address to send you the newsletter and to see how many people are opening our emails. A full privacy policy can be viewed here. You can change your mind at any time and update your preferences or unsubscribe.

Photo: Alexandra Humme/GPE

Adolescent girls' capabilities in Ethiopia: a synopsis of the evidence

20.12.17 | Ethiopia

Bodily integrity and freedom from violence | Economic empowerment | Education and learning | Health, Nutrition and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) | Psychosocial well-being | Voice and agency

Authors

Elizabeth Presler-Marshall and Maria Stavropoulou

This digest brings together evidence from two GAGE rapid country reviews and summarises what is known about Ethiopian adolescent girls’ capability development and the interventions meant to support them as they move toward adulthood. Touching on all six capability domains of GAGE’s conceptual framework — education and learning; bodily autonomy, integrity and freedom from violence; sexual and reproductive health, health and nutrition; psychosocial wellbeing; voice and agency; and economic empowerment — it concludes that despite a wealth of evidence, key gaps in our understanding remain. Specifically, we know too little about younger versus older adolescent girls and how to effect longer-term change.

That said, while gendered social norms and poverty continue to shape the lives of Ethiopian adolescent girls, the opportunities open to today’s girls are markedly improved compared to those available a generation ago. In part due to programming offered by the government and NGOs, girls are now more likely to attend school than boys, marriage and motherhood are increasingly delayed until later adolescence, and girls’ access to decision-making and paid employment is improving over time.

Suggested citation

Presler-Marshall, E. and Stavropoulou, M. (2017) Adolescent girls’ capabilities in Ethiopia: a synopsis of the evidence. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/adolescent-girls-capabilities-ethiopia-synopsis-evidence/)


Related publications

Toolkits and survey instruments
01.11.24
Irish Aid- Midline Qualitative Instruments (2024)
Across GAGE capabilities
Ethiopia
Read more
01.11.24 | Across GAGE capabilities | Toolkits and survey instruments | Ethiopia
Irish Aid- Midline Qualitative Instruments (2024)
Read more
Toolkits and survey instruments
01.11.24
Adolescent girls' and women's economic and soical empowerment in pastoralist Ethiopia: midline survey (2023/2024)
Economic empowerment
Ethiopia
Read more
01.11.24 | Economic empowerment | Toolkits and survey instruments | Ethiopia
Adolescent girls' and women's economic and soical empowerment in pastoralist Ethiopia: midline survey (2023/2024)
Read more
Journal articles
28.10.24
Coping mechanisms and “homemaking” in the face of environmental challenges: exploring the experiences of adolescent refugees in Jordan
Across GAGE capabilities
Jordan
Read more
28.10.24 | Across GAGE capabilities | Journal articles | Jordan
Coping mechanisms and “homemaking” in the face of environmental challenges: exploring the experiences of adolescent refugees in Jordan
Read more