REAL CHOICES, REAL LIVES: - GIRLS CHALLENGINGTHE GENDER RULES - Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam

Oct 17, 2026

Uploaded by Đào

Qualitative longitudinal research tracks around 120 girls since 2007 across nine countries in three Southeast Asian regions, with this report focusing on 46 girls in early adolescence from Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. It examines how gendered social norms shape daily realities and highlights “glitches” where girls notice, question, or reject gendered expectations. Using girls’ own discursive, attitudinal, and behavioral evidence, the analysis identifies timing, duration, and pathways for potential gender norm transformation when social, economic, and political conditions align, and targets practitioners and policymakers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What do we mean by ‘glitches’?

‘Glitches’ in the gender socialisation process

# REAL CHOICES, REAL LIVES: GIRLS CHALLENGINGTHE GENDER RULES Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam # INTRODUCTION Since 2007, we have been tracking the livesof around 120 girls across nine countries inthree regions.1 Our qualitative longitudinalstudy, Real Choices, Real Lives , providesinsights into the choices, decisions, andrealities that shape girls’ lives as they growup in a gendered world. In the second ina three-part series of regionally-focusedreports, we draw from in-depth longitudinal analysis of 46 girls going through earlyadolescence in the three South East Asian(SEA) Cohort countries – Cambodia, thePhilippines, and Vietnam. The first report(published in March 2019) focused onSub-Saharan Africa (Benin, Togo, andUganda) andthe final report will focus onLatin America andthe Caribbean (Brazil,Dominican Republic, and El Salvador) . Progress, alongside persistent barriers to gender equality Since the study began, the focus within theinternational development community ongirls’rights and understanding of what genderequality brings to wider society has greatlyincreased. The Sustainable DevelopmentGoals have gender equality embeddedat their heart, more girls are enrolled inprimary education than ever before, andcampaigns against early marriage, femalegenital mutilation, and gender-based violencehave gathered force. However, much furtherprogress is still needed. Gendered social norms – the ‘informal rules of the game’thatestablish expectations about ‘appropriate’behaviour for males and females – continue tounderpin and reproduce inequitable practicesthat ultimately result ingirlsand boys (andwomen and men) enjoying differential accessto resources, as well as unequal opportunitiesand outcomes. Despite growing emphasison supporting interventions that aim totransform gender relations, understandinghow and why gendered social norms can shiftremains limited. # ‘Glitches’in the gender socialisation process Previously, our analysis has explored the waysin which age, gender, and poverty interact,highlighting the (often negative) outcomes ofgender socialisation – a process beginningfrom birth, in which individuals are raisedto conform to an allocated gender role. This has included looking atthe violenceexperienced by the Cohort girls, or theunequal burden of domestic work they bear.In this report, we explore instead where, andwhen – and more significantly, unpack howand why – girls demonstrate ‘disruption’ to, or ‘glitches’in, the gender socialisationprocess. The longitudinal view of our data,and its emphasis on girls’own experiences,provides a unique perspective – highlightingmarkers of where there is potential forgender norm transformation if, and when,the broader social, economic, and politicalconditions align. The evidence provides avaluable contribution to existing knowledge inconsidering the timing, duration, and scopeof interventions aimed at transforming genderinequality. As such, itis aimed at internationaldevelopment practitioners and policymakers, as well as the development researchcommunity. Whilst in the three South East Asiancountries, we see evidence of strong ## What do we mean by‘glitches’? ‘Glitches’ refer to instances where girlsnotice, question, or reject genderedexpectations of them. The nature of ourqualitative interview data means that wemainly observed discursive, attitudinal, ordescribed behavioural‘glitches’: that iswhere girls verbally express either noticinggendered differences in expectations;criticising these gendered expectations;or describing their own behaviour whichdeviates from these norms. By highlighting flaws or inconsistenciesin the process of gender socialisation,our analysis of‘glitches’ revealshowthis process is constructed and has thepotential to change. In the SEA report,we analyse the points of noticing,questioning, or rejecting genderedexpectations – the‘glitches’, or deviations – not as evidence of disruption or changeof gendered social norms, but ratheras

FAQs

What are “glitches” in the gender socialisation process?

“Glitches” refer to instances where girls notice, question, or reject gendered expectations. The study mainly observes discursive, attitudinal, or described behavioural deviations.

How many girls and which countries does this SEA report draw from?

The report draws from in-depth longitudinal analysis of 46 girls going through early adolescence in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

How does the report connect “glitches” to potential gender norm transformation?

The analysis treats glitches as markers of where there is potential for transformation if broader social, economic, and political conditions align, rather than proof of disruption by itself.

Oct 17, 2026

Uploaded by Đào