Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Young girls and their education are highly under-valued in India, where a large proportion of the population are under the age of 30. As such, in rural areas, young girls are often removed from school to get married at a young age or enter into sex work. Those from scheduled tribes and castes, such as the Devadasi caste, are particularly affected. Less education, early child marriage and early entry into sex work all result in an increased risk of acquiring HIV and other negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Another effect of under-valuing young girls is 'eve-teasing' -harassment in schools by young boys. As a result, young women are more likely to drop out of school. This proposed research supplements an existing intervention that aims to shift individual and community-level gender roles and norms among young girls, young boys and their families, with the goal of reducing school drop-out and helping young girls gain equal access to quality education. Using mixed methods, including previously-collected survey data at baseline and follow-up, as well as qualitative focus groups, this proposed research will examine how shifts in gender norms over the intervention period will help reduce school drop out. This research will also focus on the success of the intervention in shifting harmful gender norms among young men and the impact this has on eve-teasing and school drop out. This aligns with Canada's commitment to feminizing international efforts to create gender equality and empower women and girls. Working with an international team of adolescent, sexual and reproductive health experts will ensure results from this research help to inform local, national and international efforts to reduce HIV transmission, improve gender equity and the health and well being of vulnerable young girls in India.