The influence of gender norms on the reproductive health of adolescents in Nepal -- perspectives of youth.

Gender norms are social rules for how females and males are supposed to behave within a given culture. In Nepal as in other South Asian countries these norms perpetuate a cycle in which many girls leave school early to become young wives. The 1996 Nepal Family Health Survey found that only 50% of girls had ever been enrolled in school compared to over 80% of boys. Among the girls who did not complete secondary education 57% cited marriage or pregnancy as reason for leaving school. In Nepal 50% of girls marry before age 18 and early childbearing follows early marriage usually within 18 months. The effect of gender norms on reproductive health emerged as an important theme in focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in 1999 as one component of the Nepal Adolescent and Young Adult (NAYA) study. The study focused on the effect of gender norms on access to schooling work and familial expectations related to marriage and parenthood. This paper describes these norms and their effects from the perspective of Nepali youth. (excerpt)