Early Marriage in Ethiopia: The role of gendered social norms in shaping adolescent girls' futures

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is a leading development think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. In this publication, the ODI investigates the role of gendered social norms in shaping the futures of adolescent girls in Ethiopia.

According to their findings, gendered social norms appear to be shifting but in a highly uneven manner – meaning some girls can feel the positive effects while others do not. Supportive male relatives, local role models, and access to education are all found to be key drivers of change. On the other hand, limited access to education, geographic isolation, and tenacious conservative gender norms about girls’ and women’s bodies and sexuality all impede gender norms from changing.

From these learnings, the ODI presents a series of policy and programming solutions that could offset the aforementioned challenges and create more equal, sustainable improvements for adolescent girls in Ethiopia.