Unravelling adolescent girls’ aspirations in Nepal: Status and associations with individual-, household-, and community-level characteristics

As part of non-cognitive and socio-emotional skill development, adolescence is a key time for the development of aspirations. Aspirations influence behavioral choices and exposure to factors, and thus, may be important drivers of life outcomes, including health and wellbeing, nutrition, reproductive health, labor participation, and education. The development of girls' aspirations related to education, occupation, family formation, health, and nutrition is dynamic and influenced by girls' capacity to aspire, their life stage and age, as well as a range of internal and external factors. In many South-Asian contexts, transitions through adolescence are influenced by deeply-rooted gender norms that regulate how girls should act or what they should become, and consequently, what they (can) aspire for. For instance, in India, data from a cross-sectional survey among adolescent girls aged 10-19 years showed that married and out-of-school girls were expected to prepare, and consequently aspire for, a role as homemaker and being a mother, rather than aspiring for an occupation. Research on the nature, scope, and drivers of adolescent girls' aspirations lacks in several areas. Most studies are characterized by small sample size or focus on specific sub-groups, such as married or older adolescents, rather than all adolescents, preventing comparisons between the different stages of adolescence. Only a few studies on adolescent aspirations have been conducted in low-income contexts, and studies from South-Asia in particular are scarce. The majority of studies focus on educational and occupational aspirations, but not on aspirations in other important life domains, including family formation and one's health and nutritional wellbeing. This study aims to assess six domains of aspirations, rather than focusing on a selection of aspirations. It also aims to explore a range of individual, household, and community factors that may be associated with each of these aspirations. Furthermore, the study advances on previous research by exploring variations in the associations between younger (10-14 years) and older (15-19 years) girls. In Nepal, undernutrition, early marriage and childbearing, incomplete schooling, unequal work opportunities, and limited decision-making power within and outside households remain significant challenges for Nepalese adolescent girls. Using data from the Suaahara II adolescent panel survey, the study measures Nepalese adolescent girls' aspirations in several key life course domains, including education, occupation, marriage, fertility, health, and nutrition. Regression models are estimated to explore associations between individual, household, and community characteristics and these aspirations for all adolescents and separately for younger and older girls. The study finds that age, school attendance, and self-efficacy, as well as household wealth, caste/ethnicity, size, and agro-ecological zone of residence, are significantly associated with aspirations, although effect sizes and significance vary by aspiration domain and age group. The findings underscore the curtailing effect of poverty on aspirations and the dynamic nature of aspirations. Initiatives to foster girls' aspirations must address both individual and contextual factors. The study's results have implications for programs and policies aimed at supporting girls in reaching their full potential, particularly in low-income contexts.