Adolescent Girls in Zambia : Executive Summary

World Bank Group

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: adolescent health;    demographic dividend;    early childhood development;    reproductive health;    skills development;   

DOI  :  10.1596/K8898
RP-ID  :  106488

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Adolescence (defined here as 10 to 19 yearsof age) is a time of transition that fostersboth challenges and opportunities. Choicesmade during adolescence not only haveimmediate consequences but also greatlyinfluence the economic opportunities, healthoutcomes, and skill sets attained later in life.Yet adolescence is also a period when socialnorms create pathways defined largely bygender. During adolescence, gendered rolesand responsibilities often create opportunitiesfor males, but curtail them for girls. Zambia’s persistentlyhigh fertility combined with decreasingmortality is not only causing high populationgrowth but also creating a large share ofyouth dependents, giving way to higherdependency ratios which result in lowinvestments in human capital and productivity.In Zambia, adolescents make up asubstantial 24 percent of the population,and the already large number of adolescentsis expected to more than double in theupcoming decades from 3.7 million to9.8 million in 2050, adding challenges forsociety to provide health, education and jobtraining services to prepare them for aproductive future.