Landmark study on IWD shows global gains for adolescent girls, but threats to progress and anti-rights backlash loom
Plan International Australia
MEDIA RELEASE 
8 March 2026: For immediate release
Landmark study on IWD shows global gains for adolescent girls, but threats to progress and anti-rights backlash loom
Groundbreaking research from Plan International that has documented girls over 18 years from birth reveals that globally, girls’ lives have improved over the past two decades but these gains are now at risk from the next wave of challenges approaching.
From the alarming anti-women’s rights backlash, better funded and gaining more political traction than ever before, to restrictive sexual and reproductive health policies, widespread gender-based violence and the devastating impact of global aid cuts, gender equality is at a crossroads and the moment for action is now. Plan International Australia is calling for the world to push back against these threats and demand accountability, responsibility and action for adolescent girls and women.
Released today on International Women’s Day, the Real Choices, Real Lives study found that adolescence is a tipping point for girls’ equality, when gender norms tighten, freedoms shrink and inequalities grow. It is at this point that girls are often expected to protect themselves from harassment or assault, limit their movements, take on more household responsibilities and in many cases, sacrifice their education to support their families’ livelihoods, all while facing rising risks of violence, early pregnancy and marriage.
The first and only qualitative study to have followed a single group of girls for so long, the research tracked the lives of 142 girls over 18 years, following the same cohort from birth to adulthood across nine mostly low-income countries. It documented their experiences of and reflections on growing up in Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, the Philippines, Togo, Uganda and Vietnam.
It showed significant intergenerational progress across a wide range of indicators. With improved access to education, girls are dreaming bigger and new laws protecting them from child marriage means they have broader choices in shaping their futures. By 2024, nearly two‑thirds of the girls were completing or had completed secondary education and 9% had moved on to university, far outstripping the educational levels of their mothers, most of whom had only primary schooling or none at all.
Fewer girls were married as children than the previous generation, with just over one in ten married or in unions by age 18, compared to almost 50% of their mothers. “My hopes for tomorrow are to continue my studies, to have diplomas, to have a job and a better future,” said Catherine, a study participant from Benin, aged 16 at the time.
But the barriers remain and they are severe: an alarming 91% of the girls in the study experienced violence by the age of 11. Normalisation of violence affects girls’ confidence, relationships and limits their political voice. New types of harm, such as online harassment and the rise of unregulated AI, are extending these risks into digital spaces.
The research also identified that long standing gender expectations that prioritises boys meant that supporting their families’ livelihoods falls overwhelmingly on girls’ shoulders. On average, girls spent five hours a day on unpaid care work, cooking, cleaning, and caring for siblings, often from a very young age, which the boys in their families were not asked to do. This "time poverty" leaves little room for education, rest, play, or social participation. As well as additional responsibilities in the home, many girls also lacked access to healthcare, frequently due to gender biases that prioritise boys’ needs.
Rising anti-rights movements were identified in the report as a new emerging and urgent threat to girls’ freedoms and rights, seeking to restrict education, agency and civic engagement. Funding cuts and more restrictive laws on sexual and reproductive health are creating environments where girls are discouraged from speaking out and denied essential services.
“While it is important to celebrate achievements and milestones, this International Women’s Day has to be different. It needs to return to its roots as a protest movement. We must come together to push back against the dangerous narrative that gender equality has already been achieved. Endemic violence, unequal care loads, unequal pay, misogyny, the injustice and horrors of the Epstein files... all proves that this is so far from the truth. We can’t risk this narrative taking hold as there is still too much to fight for,” said Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena.
“Supporting girls through adolescence is a critical step we can take in our push for equality. By providing them with education and opportunities, evidence shows that it can drastically improve the trajectory of their lives and of their entire communities.”
Throughout the study, girls consistently challenged the gender norms imposed on them. Many described wanting lives that were different from their mothers’, with careers in medicine, law, engineering, teaching, business or public service, and a determination not to marry or have children too young.
Despite the dangers of openly resisting gender norms, over half did so, while others found informal ways to engage in politics and drive change in their communities. To achieve their goals, the girls called for meaningful platforms to raise their voices, influence decisions, and access programs and funding that promote gender equality and strengthen resilience. Participants said they needed comprehensive support that tackles gender inequalities, keeping them safe and in school, learning, even through adolescence, pregnancy or crises.
Yet despite the need, less than 1% of global aid is currently targeted specifically to adolescent girls, even though evidence consistently shows that investment during adolescence delivers the highest returns - improving education, health, economic participation and long-term stability for entire communities.
Plan International Australia is calling on the Australian Government to commit $50 million in its International Gender Equality Strategy over four years for initiatives that explicitly benefit adolescent girls across education, health, violence prevention, climate response and economic participation, and take measures to increase the participation and visibility of adolescent girls across its aid program
“The evidence is crystal clear: when we invest in girls, everything changes. Girls become women with choices, and entire communities rise with them. If Australia wants its aid to work harder, investing in girls early is one of the smartest and most cost-effective choices it can make. If we fail to act now, we risk failing an entire generation of girls,” said Ms Legena.
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For interviews or more information please contact: Claire Knox, Media and PR Manager, Plan International Australia: +61 452 326 549 / [email protected]
Download the report here.
About Plan International Australia
Plan International Australia works alongside communities globally, delivering emergency response and long-term development programs to see girls values and empowered, so that future generations inherit a brighter, more equitable future. We believe a better world is possible. An equal world; a world where all children can live happy and healthy lives, and where girls can take their rightful place as equals. www.plan.org.au