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Using quantitative and qualitative data, the research explores barriers to achieving goals in education, work, marriage, and family formation, and analyzes how restrictive social expectations, financial constraints, and fear of judgment limit opportunities. Findings highlight progressive views alongside persistent rural conservatism and the importance of supportive families to enable empowerment.",{"@graph":69,"@context":126},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-girl-can-analyzing-aspirations-gender-norms-and-influencers-among-girls-and-women-in-zimbabwe/587956/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-girl-can-analyzing-aspirations-gender-norms-and-influencers-among-girls-and-women-in-zimbabwe/587956.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Bintang","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118,122],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the EAGER Evidence Hub trying to learn through this research?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It aims to generate evidence on what works to support girls’ and women’s empowerment and promote knowledge sharing for the EAGER program.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which age group and countries does the study focus on?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It focuses on girls’ and young women aged 15–35 in Zimbabwe, within the broader East and Southern Africa regional context.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What main barriers prevent girls from achieving their aspirations?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Financial constraints are cited as the primary obstacle, creating a cycle where girls need money to earn money and pursue better opportunities.",{"name":123,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":124},"How do social norms and family influence girls’ decisions?",{"text":125,"@type":113},"The research shows that restrictive community expectations persist even when views on gender equality appear progressive, and it finds that parents and spouses play a crucial role in shaping decisions and should be engaged in empowerment programs.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":128,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":130,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":132,"site_id":62},587956,1792211502,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":135},{"doc_id":132,"user_id":136,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":137,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":138,"file_id":139,"file_url":140,"file_type":141,"file_size":142,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":46,"language":143,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":144,"faqs":145,"seo_title":146,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":147,"read_time":31,"preview_page_count":4},962085564381,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","A GIRL CAN  \nAnalyzing Aspirations, Gender Norms, and Influencers Among Girls and Women in ZIMBABWE  \nCredits: @ AdobeStock  \nEast Africa Girls’ Empowerment and Resilience (EAGER) is a World Bank regional program aiming to increase girls’and women’s educational attainment, labor earnings, and decision-making power in East and Southern Africa. The EAGER Evidence Hub conducts rigorous research to generate new evidence on what works to support girls’and women’s empowerment and promote knowledge sharing in support of the EAGER program.  \nAcknowledgments: This report was written by Abhilasha Sahay, Sara Troiano, and Sreelakshmi Papineni. Anna Barbeta, Paula Gonzalez Martinez, and Sakina Shibuya provided excellent research assistance. Mwaka Hachisala and Tsungai Lois Chibvongodze led field management for the quantitative survey, and Sophia Friedson-Ridenour led the qualitative data collection. The authors thank Chenjerai Sisimayi, Patron Titsha Mafaune, and Kudakwashe Dube for helpful comments. The authors are grateful to the Government of Zimbabwe, represented by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, for their invaluable support throughout research design, data collection and analysis. This research series was financed by the Global Financing Facility (GFF), the World Bank’s Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) .  \nKEY MESSAGES  \nCredits: @ CaptureWorldImages/WorldBank  \n◆ Insights into Girls’ Dreams, Decision-making, and Community Influences. The survey explores girls’and young women’s (ages 15-35 years) aspirations and the barriers to achieving them. It examines social norms-or perceptions of what is considered acceptable in terms of women’s empowerment - both personally and within their communities. It also identifies key influencers in their family and community who shape girls’and women’s decisions.  \n◆ Most Girls Dream Big, but Barriers Hold Them Back. 80% of girls in our survey aspire to attain higher levels of education. Many hope to work in manufacturing, retail, or healthcare, yet most are not employed in their preferred sectors. The primary obstacle? Financial constraints — cited by over 80% of respondents — creating a vicious cycle of needing money to earn money and pursue better opportunities.  \n◆ Progressive Views Coexist with Restrictive Social Norms. While many girls and young women express support for gender equality—particularly in education and reproductive choices—conservative attitudes persist especially in rural areas, including endorsement of traditional household roles, hesitance to pursue careers in male-dominated fields, and, in some cases, acceptance of male authority and gender-based violence.  \n◆ Fear of Judgment Holds Girls Back. Fear of judgment discourages girls from seeking higher-earning opportunities. However, the survey reveals that societal norms are more progressive than girls may perceive. This demonstrates the need to recalibrate  \nand correct these misperceptions to foster empowerment.  \n◆ A Supportive Family Environment is Key to Girls’ Empowerment. Parents and spouses play a crucial role in shaping girls’and young women’s decisions, making their engagement in empowerment programs essential to driving meaningful change.  \nWHAT IS THIS RESEARCH ABOUT?  \nGirls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa face multiple, inter-related challenges.1 They are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to education and health services, and rarely benefit from productive economic opportunities. Restrictive social norms exacerbate material constraints by defining what is considered acceptable of what girls and women can and cannot do.  \nPolicies and programs aimed at empowering girls and women can help break the cycle of poverty and support this population in achieving their dreams. However, how often do we ask Zimbabwean girls and women what they really want? To inform the desi","cbCaiuRvLYyx0yme","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuRvLYyx0yme","pdf",12432048,"English","# Key Messages\n## Insights into girls’ dreams, decision-making, and community influences\n## Most girls dream big, but barriers hold them back\n## Progressive views coexist with restrictive social norms\n## Fear of judgment holds girls back\n## A supportive family environment is key to girls’ empowerment\n# What is this research about?\n# Why is this research relevant to Zimbabwe?","[{\"question\":\"What is the EAGER Evidence Hub trying to learn through this research?\",\"answer\":\"It aims to generate evidence on what works to support girls’ and women’s empowerment and promote knowledge sharing for the EAGER program.\"},{\"question\":\"Which age group and countries does the study focus on?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on girls’ and young women aged 15–35 in Zimbabwe, within the broader East and Southern Africa regional context.\"},{\"question\":\"What main barriers prevent girls from achieving their aspirations?\",\"answer\":\"Financial constraints are cited as the primary obstacle, creating a cycle where girls need money to earn money and pursue better opportunities.\"},{\"question\":\"How do social norms and family influence girls’ decisions?\",\"answer\":\"The research shows that restrictive community expectations persist even when views on gender equality appear progressive, and it finds that parents and spouses play a crucial role in shaping decisions and should be engaged in empowerment programs.\"}]","A GIRL CAN - Analyzing Aspirations, Gender Norms, and Influencers Among Girls and Women in ZIMBABWE | PDF",1792063913]