Skip to main content

Adolescence Empowerment, Sustainability, and Gender Equality

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Gender Equality

Synonyms

Gender development; Sustainable development; Youth development; Youth empowerment; Youth participation

Definitions

Adolescence (to grow into adulthood “between ages 10–19 years”) is the most important periods of human life. It is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to legal adulthood. Adolescence is a time of moving from the immaturity of childhood into the maturity of adulthood as composed of a set of transitions such as biological, cognitive, social, and emotional that reveal gradually and that touch upon many aspects of the individual’s behavior, development, and relationships. Empowerment is the expansion of freedom of choice and action. It means increasing one’s authority and control over the resources and decisions that affect one’s life. Social inclusion, autonomy, visibility, mobility, agency, and self-efficacy are the vital concepts associated with the concept of empowerment. In...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alfvén T et al (2019) Placing children and adolescents at the Centre of the sustainable development goals will deliver for current and future generations. Glob Health Action. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1670015. Accessed on 01.06.2020

  • Batliwala S (1993) Empowerment of women in South Asia, concepts and practices. FAO, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck E et al (1991) Youth in action: an assessment of the Thomas Jefferson forum’s schools program. Youth Service Center, Tufts University

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett L (2002) Using empowerment and social inclusion for pro-poor growth: a theory of social change. Working draft of background paper for the social development strategy paper. World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergsma LJ (2004) Empowerment education: the link between media literacy and health promotion. Am Behav Sci 48(2):152–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canavan CR, Fawazi WW (2019) Addressing knowledge gaps in adolescent nutrition: toward advancing public health and sustainable development. Curr Dev Nutr 3(7). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz062

  • Cargo M (2003) Empowerment as fostering positive youth development and citizenship. Am J Health Behav 27 Suppl 1(1):S66–79. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.27.1.s1.7

  • Cargo M et al (2003) Empowerment as fostering positive youth development and citizenship. Am J Health Behav 27:66–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chinman MJ, Linney JA (1998) Toward a model of adolescent empowerment: theoretical and empirical evidence. J Prim Prev 18:393–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cluver LD et al (2019) Improving lives by accelerating progress towards the UN sustainable development goals for adolescents living with HIV: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 3:245–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Freire P (1970) The pedagogy of the oppressed. Seabury Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Guthold R et al (2019) The global action for measurement of adolescent health (GAMA) initiative rethinking adolescent metrics. J Adolesc Health 64:697–699

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton SF, Fenzel LM (1988) The impact of volunteer experience on adolescent development: evidence of program effects. J Adolesc Res 3(1):65–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper C, Marcus R (2018) What can a focus on gender norms contribute to girls’ empowerment? In: Harper C et al (eds) Empowering adolescent girls in developing countries: gender justice and norm change. Rutledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter S (1983) Developmental perspectives on the self-system. In: Hetherington M (ed) Handbook of child psychology: social and personality development. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Holcombe S (1995) Managing to empower: the Grameen Bank’s experience of poverty alleviation. Hoboken, Zed Books Ltd

    Google Scholar 

  • Ian C et al (2019) Education for sustainable development: a study in adolescent perception changes towards sustainability following a strategic planning-based intervention-the young persons’ plan for the planet program. Sustainability 11(20):5817. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inhelder B, Piaget J (1958) The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. Basic Books, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jennings LB et al (2006) Toward a critical social theory of youth empowerment. J Community Pract 14(1&2):31–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones N et al (2018) ‘Sticky’ gendered norms: change and stasis in the patterning of child marriage in Amhara, Ethiopia. In: Harper C et al (eds) Empowering adolescent girls in developing countries: gender justice and norm change. Rutledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabeer N (1995) Targeting women or transforming institutions? Development in Practice, 5(2):108–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452951000157084

  • Kabeer N (1999) Resources, agency, achievements: reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment. Dev Chang 30(3):435–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Kieffer CH (1984) Citizen empowerment: A developmental perspective. Prevention in Human Services, 3(2–3):9–36. https://doi.org/10.1300/J293v03n02_03

  • Kilby P (2011) NGOs in India: the challenges of women’s empowerment and accountability. Routledge contemporary South Asia series. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim S et al. (1998) Toward a new paradigm in substance abuse and other problem behavior prevention for youth: youth development and empowerment approach. J Drug Educ 28(1):1–17. https://doi.org/10.2190/5ET9-X1C2-Q17B-2G6D

  • Klasen S (2002) Low schooling for girls, slower growth for all? Cross-country evidence on the effect of gender inequality in education on economic development. World Bank Econ Rev 16(3):345–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landry M et al (2020) Adolescents’ development of gender equity attitudes in India. Int J Adolesc Youth 25(1):94–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590852

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maton KI (1990) Meaningful involvement in instrumental activity and well-being: studies of older adolescents and at risk urban teen-agers. Am J Community Psychol 18(2):297–320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moghaddam HT et al (2016) Adolescence health: the needs, problems and attention. Int J Pediatr 4(2):1423–1438

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohajer N, Earnest J (2009) Youth empowerment for the most vulnerable A model based on the pedagogy of Freire and experiences in the field. Health Educ 109(5):424–438. https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280910984834

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogamba IK (2018) Millennials empowerment: youth entrepreneurship for sustainable development. World J Entrep Manag Sustain Dev 15(3):267–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Purdey AF et al (1994) Participatory health development in rural Nepal: clarifying the process of community empowerment. Health Educ Q 21(3):329–343

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rappaport J (1987) Terms of empowerment/exemplars of prevention: Toward a theory for community psychology. Am J Commun Psychol 15(2):121–148, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00919275

  • Rayn G (2017) Adolescence is an important time of change: keeping young women healthy isn’t limited to the doctor’s office, University of IOWA Hospitals and Clinics. https://uihc.org/health-topics/adolescence-important-time-change

  • Rocha EM (1997) A ladder of empowerment. J Am Plan Assoc 17:31–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross CE, Mirowsky J (1987) Normlessness, powerlessness, and trouble with the law. Criminology 25:257–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruland CD (2005) Adolescents: orphaned and vulnerable in the time of HIV and AIDS. Youth Lens on reproductive youth issues paper 6. Family Health International, Arlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Scales PC et al (2018) Aligning youth development theory, measurement, and practice across cultures and contexts: lessons from use of the developmental assets profile. Child Ind Res 10:1145–1178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schunk DH (1991) Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educ Psychol 26:207–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seguino S (2000) Gender inequality and economic growth: a cross-country analysis. World Dev 28(7):1211–1230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen A (1999) Development as freedom. Oxford, Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherr L (2018) Mental health challenges and interventions for adolescents – the first 1,000 weeks. In: Lansford J, Banati P (eds) Handbook of adolescent development research and its impact on global policy. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP (2014) UNDP youth strategy 2014–2017: empowered youth, sustainable future. UNDP, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • UN (2010) The millennium development goals report 2010. Available at: https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202010%20En%20r15%20-low%20res%2020100615%20-.pdf

  • United Nations (2017) Department of economic and social affairs, population division, monitoring global population trends, 2017. Available at: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/index.shtml

  • Viner MR et al (2015) Life course epidemiology: recognising the importance of adolescence, editorial. J Epidemiol Community Health 69(8):719–720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallerstein N (2006) What is the evidence on effectiveness of empowerment to improve health? WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen. Health Evidence Network report. http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E88086.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallerstein N et al (2005) Freirian praxis in health education and community organizing: a case study of an adolescent prevention program. In: Minkler M (ed) Community organizing and community building for health, 2nd edn. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick

    Google Scholar 

  • Wandersman A (1979) User participation: a study of types of participation, effects, mediators, and individual differences. Environ Behav 11(2):185–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting BB, Whiting JWM (1975) Children of six cultures: a psych-cultural analysis. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2000) Child Mortality: the challenge now. Available at: (accessed on 02.06.2020). http://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/78(10)1174.pdf

  • WHO (2006) Adolescent nutrition: a review of the situation in selected south-east Asian countries. Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2010) Empowerment of adolescent girls: a key process for achieving the millennium development goals. Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2014) Strengthening intersectoral collaboration for adolescent health. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/204359

  • World Bank (2005) What is empowerment? Available at: (accessed on 02.01.2020). http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTEMPOWERMENT/0

  • Zimmerman MA (1995) Psychological empowerment: issues and illustrations. Am J Community Psychol 23(5):581–599

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman MA (2000) Empowerment theory: psychological, organizational, and community levels of analysis. In: Seidmann JRE (ed) Handbook of community psychology. Kluwer Academic/Plenum, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwicker C, Ringheim K (2004) Commitments: youth reproductive health, the World Bank and the MDG. Global Health Council, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohammed Asaduzzaman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Asaduzzaman, M., Ud-Daula, M.A. (2020). Adolescence Empowerment, Sustainability, and Gender Equality. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Gender Equality. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_120-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_120-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics