What's Happening?
A team of female U.S. academics, including Professor Corinne Low from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, has been conducting a research project in Zambia for over a decade. This project involves teaching negotiation skills to groups of 12-
and 13-year-old girls. The curriculum, delivered over three weeks by local young women, focuses on understanding others' perspectives and collaborative problem-solving rather than adversarial negotiation. Follow-up analysis indicates that girls who participated in these negotiation classes have experienced sustained economic benefits more than ten years later. These benefits include staying in school longer, being more likely to graduate from college, and a reduced likelihood of marrying significantly older men, when compared to a control group that received general empowerment classes without negotiation training.
Why It's Important?
This research highlights the significant impact that targeted skill development, specifically negotiation, can have on the long-term economic empowerment and educational attainment of young women in developing countries. The findings suggest that equipping individuals with practical tools to navigate social and economic challenges can lead to tangible improvements in their life trajectories. For U.S. academic institutions, this demonstrates the potential for impactful international research collaborations that address global inequalities. The success of this program in Zambia, and its subsequent replication in other countries and adaptation for use in Afghanistan, underscores the universal applicability of these skills and the potential for U.S.-led initiatives to foster economic independence and social progress in vulnerable populations worldwide. It also provides a model for how educational interventions can address systemic barriers to female advancement.
What's Next?
Professor Low and her colleagues are planning a 15-year follow-up study with the original cohort of participants, who are now in their 20s, to further assess the long-term effects of the negotiation training. The approach developed by the U.S. academics has already been incorporated into the Zambian curriculum and replicated in several other countries. Most recently, the NGO Free to Run has adapted the material for online classes reaching approximately 1,200 girls in Afghanistan, where opportunities for women are severely restricted. This adaptation aims to help young women manage mental health and achieve small freedoms within their challenging environment, including negotiating with family members and even with Taliban members when necessary. The continued expansion and adaptation of this program suggest a growing recognition of the value of negotiation skills in diverse and challenging contexts.
Beyond the Headlines
The project delves into the nuanced interplay between empowerment and existing social hierarchies. While the ultimate goal is female empowerment, the curriculum acknowledges and respects the reality of generational hierarchies in Zambian culture. For instance, girls were taught to approach parents respectfully, including practices like kneeling or formal address, which might seem counterintuitive to Western notions of empowerment. However, this approach led to improved relationships with parents, who reported that the girls were more respectful and understanding. This highlights a critical ethical and cultural dimension: effective empowerment strategies must be culturally sensitive and pragmatic, working within existing social structures to achieve change rather than imposing external ideals. The adaptation of this program for girls in Afghanistan further underscores its potential to provide crucial life skills in extremely oppressive environments, enabling small but significant gains in personal agency and safety.
