Sarah Baird, George Washington University

About the Presentation

Adolescence is a window for interventions to improve current and longer-term well-being, yet it is also a time when girls face an array of restrictive gender norms, reinforced by peers, families, communities and institutions. Without norms change at each of these levels, it may be difficult to improve girls’ outcomes in a sustainable way. This study analyzes data from a cluster randomized controlled trial in Ethiopia to evaluate near-term impacts of multi-level adolescent-centric interventions aimed at gender norms transformation—layered to include girls, boys, their families and communities—on the empowerment of approximately 2,300 young adolescent girls (10-14). We find that gender-focused programming can improve a broad range of girls’ capabilities after one year, though we don’t detect sustained improvements after an additional 1-2 years of follow-up. In locations where there is strong community-level support and where interventions are implemented well, there are improvements in girls’ capabilities as a result of the most comprehensive programming, and these improvements are more wide-ranging, more sustainable (at least up to 2.5 years). Impacts are weaker (and sometimes even negative) where support and implementation are less consistent, suggesting the need for tailored and well-monitored implementation approaches in different contexts.

About the Speaker

Sarah Baird is a Professor of Global Health and Economics at George Washington University, where she focuses on the microeconomics of health and education in the Global South with an emphasis on gender and youth.  Her work has been published in leading academic journals including the Quarterly Journal of Economics and The Lancet, and has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times and The Economist.  She currently serves as the quantitative lead for the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence study and is co-chair of the ongoing Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing.

Seminar Format

*Please note special time of 11:15-12:15 PM for the seminar. Also note that this seminar is to be held as ZOOM ONLY.

Location ONLINE VIA ZOOM:  Zoom Registration Link. Upon registration, you will receive an automatically generated email with the direct link for the seminar

COVID-19 Information

MPRC public events for Spring 2024 will be a mix of in person and online via Zoom.  For in person events, all event attendees must follow current protocols