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Overcoming Gender Disparities Boys & Girls are different
Girls and boys face different sets of challenges and pressures as they approach adulthood. Disparities in the way girls and boys are raised and treated are at the root of many sexual and reproductive health problems and development challenges. For boys, adolescence can be a time for expanded participation in community and public life. Girls, however, may experience new restrictions, and find their freedom of movement limited. In addition, socially constructed gender roles may give girls little say about their own aspirations and hopes, and restrict them to being wives and mothers. Boys face other kinds of societal and peer pressures, as they may be encouraged to be risk-takers and to demonstrate their manhood through aggressive behaviour. Making the world safer for and more respectful of the needs and rights of young women is a priority for teensNparents. Sensitizing men to share responsibility for safe and healthy reproductive and sexual behaviours, and to respect girls and women as equals, is fundamental objective.
Social and biological factors increase girls' vulnerability
Gender norms and power dynamics often limit young women's control over their sexual and reproductive lives. Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable in the area of sexual and reproductive health. Biologically, women's risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections during unprotected sexual relations is two to four times that of men. Younger women are at greater risk because their reproductive tracts are still maturing.
Addressing gender inequities through education
Educating girls is a powerful lever for their empowerment, as well as for reducing poverty. Girls who are educated are likely to marry later and to have smaller, healthier families. Education helps girls to know their rights and claim them, for themselves and their families. Education can translate into economic opportunities for women and their families.
Values and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequalities are instilled in childhood. Adolescence may be one of the last opportunities to offer alternatives. Negative gender-based norms and practices can be gradually transformed through educational, social, legal and other processes that promote equality of girls and boys. Without such action, unequal gender relations and power imbalances are likely to persist throughout adult life.
teensNparents :
supports girls and boys in their transition to adulthood with opportunities to build self-esteem and develop life skills.
Encourages the elimination and penalization of all forms of abuse, including sexual abuse and incest, sexual exploitation, human trafficking and prenatal sex selection
Raises awareness of the ways in which gender inequalities fuel the HIV/AIDS epidemic among young people.
Works with boys and young men to foster the idea of partnership and mutually supportive relations with women.