Challenging Gender Stereotypes and Sexual Harassment in Schools: Evidence from Adolescence Education Program in India

Jaya Jaya, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Preeti Dhillon, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Sanjay Kumar, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Adolescence Education Program (AEP) implemented by the Government of India and United Nations Population Fund across 4000 schools in India aims to empower young people to respond to real life situations effectively. We analyze responses from 21,967 adolescents from the evaluation of AEP (2010-11) across 200 schools. Using Principal Component Analysis, we construct separate indices for students and teachers on their attitudes on challenging gender stereotypes and sexual harassment. Using multivariate (OLS) regression, we examine the determinants of attitudes, including AEP. Findings suggest that in comparison to boys, girls are able to better challenge gender stereotypes (coefficient: 0.33, p-value<0.01) and have more progressive attitudes in dealing with sexual harassment (coefficient: 0.31, p-value<0.01). Age, internet access and mother’s education are associated with progressive attitudes. The program has shown significant positive effect on students’ and teachers’ attitudes. It can be made more effective by further attention to males and disadvantaged social groups.