Excerpt: “With more than half the world’s population under the age of 30, empowering and inspiring girls and young women to serve as civic and political leaders is an important vehicle for positive change in all countries. Worldwide, however, only 26.9 percent of parliamentarians are women, and only 2.97 percent of political representatives are under the age of 30, showing significant gaps in the representation of girls and young women’s voices in civic and political spheres. The obstacles that women and girls face when taking on leadership roles are numerous, interlinked, compounding, and rooted in gender inequality. As early as age six, girls’ levels of ambition and self-confidence in their abilities are impacted by gender discrimination and harmful stereotypes. Adolescent girls commonly face gender-based violence (GBV), including but not limited to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) and child, early, and forced marriage and unions (CEFM/U); lack of access to quality education; and lack of established career or leadership pathways, mentors, or role models.”
Report
(12 pages)