A Girl Can Dream - But Can She Act on It?

Insights from Five Countries on Women and Girls' Aspirations in Eastern and Southern Africa Two summers ago in Lusaka, Zambia, we met Ada, a young woman with an ambitious plan for her future. She spoke with remarkable clarity about her dream of becoming a nurse so she could support her community. Watching her confidence and determination, it was hard to imagine anything standing in her way. By day, Ada worked in her brother's car parts shop; by night, she attended university, balancing long hours to pursue the future she envisions. Ada's story is far from unique. Across Eastern and Southern Africa, girls and young women dream big. They aspire to complete their education, build successful careers, decide whether and when to marry and have children. Yet a fundamental question for policymakers is not whether girls have aspirations.It is whether they have the opportunities to realize them. That question lies at the heart of a new regional study, A Girl Can Dream: Analyzing Aspirations, Gender Norms, and Influencers Among Girls and Women, produced by the World Bank EAGER Evidence Hub - a multi-sectoral knowledge platform generating evidence on women’s empowerment. Drawing on surveys of vulnerable girls and women aged 15–35 across Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the study examines what young women want, what social norms stand in the way, and who shapes their choices. Achievement Falls Short of Aspirations Across all five countries, 99% of respondents fell short of their aspirations in at least one key domain: education, employment, marriage, or fertility. Education is widely valued, and most women and girls aspire to participate in the labor market. Yet, almost 90% had not attained their desired level of education, and around seven in ten were unable to secure work in their desired sector. Financial constraints are the single most-cited barrier to fulfilling aspirations, flagged by over 80% of respondents across all 5 countries. Early Marriage and Pregnancy Derails Educational Pursuits One of the most consistent findings across the five countries is that early marriage and pregnancy, rather than a lack of ambition, are major forces derailing girls’ education. In Mozambique, 53% of girls marry before 18, and nearly half of girls aged 15–19 have begun childbearing. In Madagascar, 29% of women marry before 18, with first pregnancies around age 19, well below girls stated ideal age of 25. In Zambia, girls aspire to have their first child at 25, yet average first pregnancy occurs at 18. The costs are substantial: preventing child marriage in Mozambique could increase affected women’s earnings by 9% and generate $305 million in productivity gains. A Mismatch of Job Opportunities Exists in All Surveyed Countries In Madagascar, girls widely aspire to public-sector jobs in education and health, sectors unable to absorb demand, with limited awareness of opportunities in non-traditional fields. In Mozambique, just 1% of women aspire to work in agriculture, despite the sector dominating female employment. In Zambia, only 17% of women hold wage or salaried positions, compared with 34% of men. In Malawi, over 40% aspire to business services, yet 98% are unable to secure jobs in the sector. This disconnect matters because the WBG and countries in East and Southern Africa have identified infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing as priority sectors with strong job-creation potential. Women’s fuller participation in these sectors is essential to realizing that potential. While young women's aspirations currently skew toward healthcare and, to a lesser extent, manufacturing, expanding their access to the broader set of priority sectors would both widen economic opportunities for women and amplify the growth and employment impacts of targeted investments. Achieving this requires addressing the structural barriers that limit women's entry and advancement across these sectors: access to credit, business licenses, relevant training, and safe working environments. Gender Norms Are Often More Progressive than What Girls Perceive Girls often hold back from pursuing higher-earning careers because they fear community disapproval, yet surveys reveal communities are frequently more progressive than girls realize. In Zimbabwe and Zambia, over 93% agree that women should be able to continue education after marriage. Yet married girls without children in Madagascar are 52% less likely to be enrolled in school than unmarried peers. Correcting misperceptions through community engagement, mentorship, and role models can be a powerful lever for change. Girls Rely on a Close Circle of Influence for Advice Programs that engage girls and women in isolation will fall short. The people who shape their decisions must be part of the solution. Family members, including parents, spouses, and siblings, are the most influential in shaping women’s decisions about education, employment, and contraceptive use. Mothers, fathers, spouses, and community leaders should be active partners in the change agenda. Neighbors and friends also influence social approval, highlighting broader community pressures that shape individual choices. Where do we go from here? The gap to achievement is not motivational. It is structural, financial, and social. It is the 18-year-old who wanted to be a nurse but became a mother instead because no one intervened at the right moment with the right support. It is the girl who left secondary school because she assumed her parents would disapprove. Ada’s story, like those of young women across Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, is a call to action grounded in evidence. Insights from the EAGER Evidence Hub are shaping the $832 million EAGER regional program, which hopes to tackle the problem on multiple fronts: fee assistance and menstrual health curricula to keep girls in school; safe spaces and school-to-work support for those who leave; employer mentorship and skills-matching to address jobs mismatches; and community and policy engagement to shift norms. The program has already reached one million beneficiaries, and it is expected to double this number over the next three years. When evidence is translated into coordinated action, girls like Ada do not just get to dream - they get to act. Note: All names in this blog were changed to protect the identity of program participants. The authors acknowledge the excellent contributions to data collection and field management, writing, and design from Alexandre Chauque, Almedina Music, Aniceto Da Fonseca Matias, Anna Barbeta, Claire Boxho, Deane De Menezes, Fanjaniaina Prisca Mamitiana, Irene Fernandez Gorostidi, Landy Fabienne Rasamoeliniaina, Lova Mael Rabemananjara, Mwaka Hachisala, Paula Gonzalez Martinez, Sakina Shibuya, Sophia Friedson-Ridenour, and Tsungai Lois Chibvongodze.