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Home > Priority Areas > Youth and Gender

Youth and Gender

More than half of the world’s population today is youth under age 30, providing an important opportunity for development.

Yet young people have a particular set of challenges to overcome in order to lead healthy and productive lives, not the least of which is gender-based violence. Over a billion children (under age 18) are exposed to violence each year—and the health consequences into adulthood are well known.

As with adults, gender norms greatly influence young people’s attitudes and behaviors, and access to and use of information and services. Girls are particularly vulnerable to reproductive health problems for both biological and social reasons, and often have little say over the conditions of reproductive health and childbearing, whether they take place within marriage or outside it. Boys, however, are also at risk, either by complying with expected gender norms that encourage high-risk behavior, or by stepping outside of those norms.

Key themes of interest to the IGWG:

  • Child early and forced marriage.
  • Cross-generational sex.
  • Fostering a gender perspective in sex education and life skills programs.
  • Health services responsive to youth.
  • Gender socialization of boys and girls.

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Related News & Updates

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This website was prepared by the Population Reference Bureau for the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG). This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of the PACE agreement. The contents are the responsibility of the Population Reference Bureau and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States government.

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