In India, Attitudes Towards Girls are Positively Changing. Here’s Proof.

At Global G.L.O.W., we give girls across 30 countries the tools they need to express themselves, advocate for their rights, and ultimately transform the world. In Andhra Pradesh, India, we’re seeing the real-world impact our programming is having on the lives of adolescent girls — and how that impact is rippling out into their broader community.  

From January 2021 through January 2022, we evaluated the impact a year of GLOW Club programming had on club members and their families in Andhra Pradesh. The results were outstanding: all of the survey outcomes we measured demonstrated significant growth in girls’ social and emotional, leadership, and advocacy capabilities. 

Even more noteworthy, parents of club members expressed a more positive idea of the role their daughters can play in the world and their aspirations as a result of GLOW Club programming. 

The Survey 

Global G.L.O.W.’s Research and Evaluation Team evaluated the impact of the first year of GLOW Club programming in Andhra Pradesh, India for club participants and their parents and guardians. 

Data was collected before programming (at baseline) in January 2021, and after one year of programming in January 2022. The baseline was used as a point of comparison for measuring progress. 

The Results

GLOW Club is Developing Vital Social and Emotional Skills for Girls

Our GLOW Club curriculum is facilitated by trusted local mentors in small-group settings, and designed to help girls develop the essential social and emotional skills needed to express themselves and navigate the unique gender-based challenges they face. 

Our survey proves that our model is working. 

After one year in GLOW Club programming, girls demonstrated significant growth in the targeted skills highlighted in the graph below.

Positive Impact Extends to Parents and Guardians

GLOW Club also had a significant impact on the way parents in Andhra Pradesh view their daughters and believe in their ability to complete higher levels of education.

Before their daughters began GLOW Club, 74.3% of parent participants hoped for their daughters to achieve a secondary school education and only 23% hoped their daughter would go on to college. 

After a year of GLOW Club, however, nearly all parents — 96% —indicated that they preferred for their daughters to continue their education after secondary school. We believe this is a direct result of girls in GLOW Club learning how to advocate for their own continued education.

One participant shared: “My parents may not allow me to continue my education, but I will convince them to continue my education. I need to face so many struggles to reach my goal, so I need to be strong.” 

Our survey indicated that GLOW Club programming also impacted parents’ and guardians’ beliefs on gender equality, especially as it relates to the age of marriage for their children. 

Before GLOW Club programming, parents preferred for their daughters to marry at 18-20 years of age. After a year of their daughters receiving GLOW Club’s SEL-based education, parents believed their daughters would benefit from a later marriage.  

In India, nearly a quarter of girls are married before their 18th birthday. When girls are allowed to complete their education before marriage, they acquire the necessary knowledge, advocacy skills, and confidence to contribute to their families and communities. 

Delaying marriage provides girls with economic empowerment and breaks the cycle of early motherhood, resulting in improved maternal health and overall well-being. 

Club participants recognize the benefits of education and delayed marriage, and that awareness extends to their family members and community. 

One club member shared, “I should not get married at an early age in order to reach my goal. I will convince my parents to not perform early marriage for me.” 

Why Social and Emotional Curriculum Matters 

As girls develop their self-advocacy, leadership, and decision-making skills through GLOW Club, the positive impact ripples into their communities.

Girls demonstrate their capacity to advocate for themselves and succeed, and parents are able to recognize that their daughters have the power to pursue lives of their own design.

Click here to read our research on the impact of GLOW Club in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

Special thanks to Holy Cross Social Service Society, who operate Global G.L.O.W. programming in safe, small group after-school sessions for youth participants with trusted local mentors while working with us over the past two years to collect survey responses from participants and parents. 

Global G.L.O.W. partners with community-based organizations in 30 countries to operate mentorship-driven programs for girls ages 10-18. Our SEL-based curriculum gives girls the tools to express themselves, advocate for their rights, and challenge the most critical barriers to achieving gender equality. Support our work at globalgirlsglow.org/donate.