Am I a girl? Defining the adolescent life stage in the context of education

This seminar is jointly hosted by The Open University’s Learning and learners hub in the Centre for the Study of Global Development and BAICE – the British Association for Comparative and International Education.

On International Women’s Day, we bring together leading actors from academia and the NGO sector to discuss the ways in which girls and young women are framed during adolescence. In many contexts around the world, by their mid-teens many have additional identities and responsibilities: they are mothers, daughters-in-law, wives and stepmothers, heads of households, and juggling multiple income-generating activities. Despite this, they are frequently referred to as ‘girls’ and through this terminology, complex lives are over-simplified. This can have significant implications for designing educational opportunities that they consider to be valuable.

This conversation event will consider what are considered to be valuable educational opportunities across the girl/woman transition period, with the inclusion of the sub-themes of equity, innovation, non-formal pathways and STEM opportunities to tie in with broader themes around this year’s International Women’s Day. It will focus on issues such as the limitations of ‘girl’ and ‘girls’ perspectives’ and propose alternative definitions and learning pathways which might better represent the reality of this phase of the life course.

The event will begin with three short presentations about the key issues, followed by break-out rooms where you will have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion. The event will conclude with reflections from the panel and time for further Q&A.

Speakers:

• Dr. Alison Buckler (Senior Research Fellow, International Education), The Open University
• Dr. Faith Mkwananzi (Senior Researcher), University of the Free State
• Obert Chigodora, Programme Manager – Supporting Adolescent Girls’ Education, (Plan International Zimbabwe)
• Professor Clem Herman (Gender and Technology), The Open University

You can also participate in discussions on the seminar's theme by using #AmIAGirl hashtag on Twitter.

Register on Eventbrite.