One person in eight is a girl or young woman 10 to 24 years old. Young people are the fastest growing segment of the population in developing countries, and their welfare is a fundamental input for key economic and social outcomes -- including the size and competitiveness of tomorrow's labor force, future economic growth, improved governance, and healthy civil societies.
But girls in developing countries are in trouble. They face systematic disadvantages over a wide range of welfare indicators, including health, education, nutrition, labor force participation, and the burden of household tasks. Because of deprivation and discriminatory cultural norms, many poor girls are forced to marry at very young ages and are extraordinarily vulnerable to HIV, sexual violence, and physical exploitation. Lacking a full range of economic opportunities and devalued because of gender bias, many girls are seen as unworthy of investment or protection by their families.
Building on work for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality, and work on global health and demographic change, the Center for Global Development teamed up with the Population Council and the International Center for Research on Women to:
- Summarize evidence about the importance of girls and young women within economic and social development;
- Recommend effective investments that will give adolescent girls in developing countries a full and equal chance for rewarding lives and livelihoods;
- Provide the rationale and policy roadmap necessary to mobilize such support from national governments, donors, private sector and civil society; and,
- Inform the public about ways in which we can all contribute to improving the situation of adolescent girls in poor countries.
Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda Report
The wellbeing of adolescent girls in developing countries shapes global economic and social prosperity -- yet girls' needs often are consigned to the margins of development policies and programs. This new report describes why and how to provide adolescent girls in developing countries a full and equal chance in life. Offering targeted recommendations for national and local governments, donor agencies, civil society, and the private sector, Girls Count provides a compelling starting point for country-specific agendas to recognize and foster girls' potential. Learn More
Girls Count Report Co-authors
Margaret Greene (ICRW), Cynthia Lloyd (Population Council), Caren Grown (American University)Girls Count is a three-year initiative generously co-funded by the Nike Foundation and the UN Foundation’s Better World Fund.