A New Exploratory Study Highlights the Gap in Understanding Backlash Against Girls' Expression of Agency in India

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Denial of entitlements is the most common form of backlash by way of withdrawal from school, programs or outdoor sports and others
Priti Prabhughate, Associate Director, Dasra , said, "Majority theories of backlash focus on force and violence as a form of backlash experienced by empowered adult women within the home, and, in the workplace. These theories have not addressed the forms of backlash that adolescent girls and young women experience. 'Action: Reaction, understanding and overcoming backlash against girls' exercise of agency in India' is an attempt towards demystifying the backlash effect."
Shireen Jeejeebhoy, demographer and social scientist, Aksha Centre for Equity and Wellbeing and senior advisor to Dasra's adolescent programme, said, "There is a need to invest in rigorous research, especially community-based studies of girls and parents, to shed light on the risk and protective factors surrounding the backlash against girls. Surveys and qualitative studies that address the situation and evaluations of programs serving the young should include modules that explore the unintended adverse consequences of expressions of agency. More research attention will further enable effective delivery of programs, policies and on outcomes for growth of young girls."

Key findings from 'Action Reaction: Understanding and overcoming backlash against girls' exercise of agency in India'
While 84% of survey respondents, youth-serving organizations, were familiar with at least one incident in which a girl experienced backlash, the number of incidents noted by them was relatively small. The most commonly reported form of backlash was 'denial of entitlements' in the form of withdrawal from school, programs or outdoor sports, or punishment and denial of money or access to internet or communications media (mobile phone or social media). Other common forms of backlash are punishment for social mixing with boys, and extreme forms such as physical violence, the threat of physical violence, denial of food, or forced seclusion. The table below explains further:

Backlash in the form of denial of entitlements [Percentage of

organizations reporting familiarity with incidents of withdrawal
from school, programs and outdoor sports, and refusal of access
Number of
to money, internet, media]
organizations Percentage
Withdrawal from school
Removed from school because she became friendly with a boy
32
43.8
Withdrawn from school/ prevented from going to college when
harassed by a boy on the way to school or because she was
married/about to be married because of parental fear of loss of
reputation
41
56.2
Withdrawn from or herself withdrew from school for fear of, or
when she experienced, harassment from boys

on the way to/from or at school
42
57.5
Made to discontinue her education against her will, but did not
protest (tell teacher, argue back with parents, seek help from anyone
else, etc.) because she feared adverse consequences (violence,
withholding of food, resources, freedom...)
44
60.3
Withdrawal from programs and outdoor sports
Told not to participate in sports or games outside the home because
people would say bad things about her or was reprimanded for
participating in sports events
37
50.7
Told not to attend your program because you teach "useless" or
"dirty" things, or because you put modern ideas in her head

44
60.3
Prevented from participating in youth groups/events/activities
because boys would be present
43
58.9
Punishment, withdrawal of permission
Punished for or prevented from using social media/mobile
phone/computer for fear that she would be exposed to "wrong"
things and people (e.g., boys)
40
54.8
Refused money (e.g., for pocket money, local conveyance, mobile
recharge) as a punishment for displaying any form of agency
24
32.9
Any of the above
61
83.6
TOTAL NUMBER OF RESPONDING ORGANIZATIONS
73
Recommendations from 'Action Reaction: Understanding and overcoming backlash against girls' exercise of agency in India'
The need of the hour is an environment that supports - or at least does not thwart progress toward - a breakdown of traditional hierarchical gender norms and expressions of agency among girls. Below are a few strategies that organizations shared in order to prevent and/or overcome backlash, that is unintended adverse consequences of empowerment programs based on experiences of the adolescent and youth-serving organizations:

Including champions and role models - girls and boys who have successfully deviated from traditional norms, and parents whose children have done so -- can allay fears of adverse consequences of breaking social norms
Programming for boys - in and out of school - is important for changing perceptions of masculinity as well as preventing backlash against girls
Methodology of pilot study
Priti Prabhughate, further added, "There is an extreme paucity of research on incidents of backlash faced by adolescents, and we believed it premature to conduct an investigation directly with adolescents. Rather, as a first step in better understanding the phenomenon, we opted to explore the issue through the perspectives of youth-serving organizations, and more specifically to synthesize incidents of backlash against girls, boys and parents that may have come to the attention of the organizations and incidents of backlash against the youth-serving organization itself."

For any further query, please write to akshay@dasra.org. Download 'Action Reaction' report here - Action Reaction report
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