Measuring the Economic Gain of Investing in Girls: The Girl Effect Dividend

Although girls are approximately half
\n the youth population in developing countries, they
\n contribute less than their potential to the economy. The
\n objective of this paper is to quantify the opportunity cost
\n of girls' exclusion from productive employment with the
\n hope that stark figures will lead policymakers to reconsider
\n the current underinvestment in girls. The paper explores the
\n linkages between investing in girls and potential increases
\n in national income by examining three widely prevalent
\n aspects of adolescent girls' lives: early school
\n dropout, teenage pregnancy and joblessness. The countries
\n included in the analysis are: Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi,
\n China, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Paraguay,
\n Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The authors use
\n secondary data to allow for some comparability across
\n countries.…