Building Support for Gender Equality Among Young Adolescents in School

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), in partnership with the Committee of Resource Organizations for Literacy (CORO) and the Tata Institute for Social Sciences (TISS), developed a school-based program entitled "Gender Equity Movement in Schools," or GEMS, for students in Grades VI and VII. GEMS promotes gender equality by encouraging equal relationships between girls and boys, examining the social norms that define men's and women's roles, and questioning the use of violence. This report summarizes the key findings from the first phase of the program, which was implemented in Mumbai public schools across two academic years (2008-09 and 2009- 10), reaching more than 8000 girls and boys ages 12-14. In the second phase currently underway, GEMS is being scaled up to over 250 schools in Mumbai.

The study used a quasi-experimental design to assess the outcomes of the program on the students. It was carried out in a randomly selected sample of 45 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools. The schools were randomly and equally distributed across three arms – two intervention arms and one control arm. To analyze the outcome data from the surveys, the research team used a difference- in-differences approach and multivariate analyses. The study finds that students in both intervention groups report more positive outcomes compared to those in the control group. But the data also clearly show that boys and girls in the GEA+ schools demonstrate greater positive changes compared to those in the campaign only schools, highlighting the value of the group education sessions.

The outcome variables that demonstrate the greatest changes are clustered around appropriate roles for women and men and girls and boys. Other key attitudinal and behavioral changes are increased support for a higher age at marriage for girls, greater male involvement in household work, increased opposition to gender discrimination and reacting in a more positive way to violence. The effect of the interventions on violence is more difficult to tease out, given that there are both positive and negative findings. But the data do suggest that GEMS is laying the necessary groundwork for increasing awareness, building skills and changing behaviors around violence both inside and outside the school setting.

The study demonstrates important changes after just one round of the intervention. Attitudes toward gender equality sharply improved after the first round, and were sustained at the end of the second round. Yet there is also added value in a second round of the intervention given increased support for a higher age at marriage for girls, greater self-efficacy in responding to sexual harassment and more positive responses to violence and discrimination.

The GEMS experience provides evidence of a useful and feasible methodology for creating discussion around gender equality within the school setting. The findings suggest that a methodology which involves students in self- reflection has the potential to make a positive difference in attitudes and behaviors. Schools, being spaces for learning, have a role beyond giving knowledge to also fostering support for gender equality and non-violence.