What Happens When [Terai] Girls Play? Understanding the Relationship Between Restrictive Gender Norms, Girls' Experiences of Playing Sport in South‐Eastern Nepal, and the Factors That Influence Their Participation

Begg, S ORCID: 0000-0001-9384-9801, Shah, N, Poudel, M ORCID: 0009-0009-2944-6747, Pulford, J ORCID: 0000-0003-4756-8480, Parker, S ORCID: 0000-0001-9041-2305 and Cricket Changemakers (Nepal) (2025) What Happens When [Terai] Girls Play? Understanding the Relationship Between Restrictive Gender Norms, Girls' Experiences of Playing Sport in South‐Eastern Nepal, and the Factors That Influence Their Participation. Journal of Adolescence. ISSN 0140-1971

Preview

Text What Happens When Terai]Girls Play Understanding the relationship between restrictive gender norms.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (8MB) | Preview

Abstract

Introduction Restrictive gender norms globally disproportionately constrain girls, limiting their freedom and mobility while increasing their risk of violence. This study adopts a Youth Participatory Action Research approach to explore how adolescents in Nepal experience these norms in sport, and identify pathways for their positive transformation. Methods Twenty-three adolescent girls from eight government schools in the Terai districts of Morang and Saptari, Nepal, were trained as youth researchers to co-define the research focus and questions related to gender, sport, and adolescence. They conducted 15 play-based focus group discussions with 64 adolescent boys and 84 adolescent girls aged 13–19. Outputs were co-analysed using a framework approach shaped by the youth researchers' lived experiences. Results Situating our findings relative to Ecological Systems Theory, we found that girls' participation in sports is limited by restrictions on their free time and mobility, and community and peer “backbiting”. Parents, teachers, and boys in their microsystem reinforced these norms, while schools and sporting institutions provided limited opportunities and uneven resources. However, girls' sporting success emerged as a catalyst for change, generating pride that shifted perspectives on girls' capabilities, rights, and freedoms. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of addressing gender norms at a societal level by engaging with the interpersonal interactions that sustain them. It identifies “pride” as a transformative force, supporting evidence that positive norms can drive gender equity. Future interventions should build girls' confidence, engage boys as allies, and increase the visibility of girls' sports to expand freedoms in the Terai.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	52 Psychology; 5203 Clinical and Health Psychology; 5205 Social and Personality Psychology; 5201 Applied and Developmental Psychology; Pediatric; Clinical Research; Social Determinants of Health; Women's Health; 5 Gender Equality; 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; 1701 Psychology; Developmental & Child Psychology; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology; 5203 Clinical and health psychology; 5205 Social and personality psychology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Humanities and Social Science
Publisher:	Wiley
Date of acceptance:	17 June 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	10 July 2025
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2025 15:00
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2025 15:15
DOI or ID number:	10.1002/jad.70011
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26758

View Item