Changing gender attitudes in India one family at a time - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Changing gender attitudes in India one family at a time

Apr 30, 2022 05:35 PM IST

Interventions such as the Sphoorthi project can create an enabling environment for families to understand the importance of educating girls and gender equity.

All efforts to build back better after the pandemic would be strengthened if women had more agency in autonomy, decision-making, and power within the family structure and community. Particular attention must be given to adolescent girls who are facing several challenges as a fallout of the pandemic, among them early marriage.

To ensure the sustainable transfer of learnings and attitudes from the role models and peer girls, Sphoorthi established groups and collectives of girls at the village, cluster and taluk levels to help them sustain the change process. (Deepak Sansta/Hindustan Times) PREMIUM
To ensure the sustainable transfer of learnings and attitudes from the role models and peer girls, Sphoorthi established groups and collectives of girls at the village, cluster and taluk levels to help them sustain the change process. (Deepak Sansta/Hindustan Times)

An interesting experiment to enable adolescent girls to champion changes related to their health, education, and marriage, among other things, is the Sphoorthi project, funded by Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) and implemented by the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT), over the last four years in 51 villages of Koppal district in northern Karnataka. It covers 4,600 adolescent girls from marginalised families and uses a framework that recognises the importance for vulnerable groups to overcome their disadvantageous positions and gain agency in three interrelated domains: Power within (self-esteem and self-efficacy), power with (others), and power over (resources).

Satyanarayana Ramanaik, thematic lead, adolescent health, KHPT, says, “After a year of Sphoorthi’s intervention, we realised the importance of addressing the parent-daughter relationship. Especially once the girls attain menarche, communication and interactions between the father and daughter were less in the rural context. We have been working with parents and daughters and we found that the daughters’ wishes and wants were communicated to the fathers through their mothers. This affects the girl’s autonomy and negotiation power. The Sphoorthi intervention made a conscious effort in shifting this norm.”

The peer role model approach to empower adolescent girls to make decisions that impact their education, nutrition, and social relations resulted in these role model girls training their peers in their villages. Some of the key achievements of Sphoorthi included the positive changes around the increase in the girls’ decision-making capacity and involvement in key decisions about their lives, increased self-esteem and self-worth, improved parent-daughter relationship, better nutrition levels and reduction in school drop-out.

The multifaceted intervention model starts with developing the capacity of the girls and engaging the family and then providing platforms for the girls to engage with community members and boys. The interventions create an enabling environment for helping families understand the importance of educating girls and gender equity.

The interventions with boys are to transform their attitudes towards gender, emphasising the right of adolescent girls to a life free of violence and abuse. The interventions with the community are to help understand the importance of educating girls, gender norms, and the consequences of early marriage and teenage pregnancy.

To ensure the sustainable transfer of learnings and attitudes from the role models and peer girls, Sphoorthi established groups and collectives of girls at the village, cluster and taluk levels to help them sustain the change process. The Karnataka government now plans to scale up the effort.

Ramanna, a father from Budhgumpa village, Koppal district says, “After SSLC (secondary school), we asked our daughter to quit school for two years. But after Sphoorthi came into our village, I wanted my child to grow, so I enrolled her in a college. Now she is in her second year, PUC (pre-university course). We earlier were superstitious, but now we challenge those superstitions. Our daughters have progressed. In our opinion, our children are our inspiration.”

lalita.panicker@hindustantimes.com 

The views expressed are personal

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch Now!

Continue reading with HT Premium Subscription

Daily E Paper I Premium Articles I Brunch E Magazine I Daily Infographics
freemium
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Lalita Panicker leads the opinion section at Hindustan Times. Over a 33-year career, she has specialised in gender issues, reproductive health, child rights, politics and social engineering.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On