Gender Norms and Adolescent Girls' Trajectories: Evidence from a Field Experiment in India

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We study the effects of two interventions designed to reduce the grip of highly restrictive gender norms on adolescent girls' education, marriage and well-being in rural Rajasthan, India. The first intervention comprised weekly “girl groups” which used group activities and sports to provide adolescent girls with the understanding, knowledge and social support they would need to challenge restrictive norms. The second additionally engaged with girls' families and wider communities given this is a context where girls frequently have little direct say over key decisions. We find that the girl groups, alone and in combination with community engagement, significantly reduce school dropout and rates of early marriage amongst older girls. The addition of community engagement improved girls' mental health and shifted their gender norms. We interpret the findings within a conceptual framework which allows for several different channels through which gender norms can impact girls' behaviour and well-being.