Life as an Adolescent Girl — Then and Now

In 1995, the international community committed to protecting the rights of adolescent girls.

That was the year that 189 country governments signed the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a comprehensive policy agenda focused on gender equality.

What has changed for 15-year-old girls in the decades since? Here are some reflections from young women from around the world, alongside their mothers, grandmothers and mentors.

Related: New 'Girl Goals' report shows uneven progress for adolescent girls.

Laala in Afghanistan

Laala,* 15, was in Grade 8 when the Taliban banned girls in Afghanistan from continuing school.

“I was very good at school,” Laala says.* “I could have been in my first semester at university. Now, I’m stuck at home all day with no joy. My time is consumed by household chores. It’s not just that I can’t go to school – I can’t even meet my friends to talk or have fun. There’s no room for laughter.”

Laala’s mother, Gulchehra,* is watching history repeat.

“I was just ten years old when the Taliban first came to Afghanistan in 1996 and shut down our schools," Gulchehra says. "By the time I was fourteen, my parents arranged my marriage. Life became dark for me after that. I fear that Laala will face the same darkness that I did. I fear she will never go back to school, that she will be forced into marriage at a young age. It feels like we can never escape the cycle of suffering.

She continues: “Before the Taliban took over, life was different for girls like Laala. At fifteen, she could have attended courses in English or computers. She could have gone to the park, the gym – even travelled. She had the freedom to dream and explore. These are freedoms I never had at fifteen, and now these freedoms have been taken from her too.”

Laala holds fast to memories of freedom. “I dream of a day when I can return to school, meet my friends again, and have a future filled with opportunities.”

*Names changed

Maria in Brazil

"What’s missing for girls today are people who can represent them in the most important places — in politics and in schools," says 15-year-old Maria of Brazil. 

Girls need equal access to opportunities that matter, like education, she says. “But there are still many children out of school. Sometimes there are not enough teachers, and sometimes the quality of education is lacking."

Maria attends secondary school and is studying to become a doctor. Her mother, Elivânia, had no such opportunity. 

Elivânia recalls her own childhood: “My mother had to pay for my bus fare and my sister's, so we had to decide who would go to school on which days."

Today, Elivânia holds two degrees, is pursuing her master's, and is already thinking about a doctorate. “Opportunities have expanded," she says, "but they haven’t reached everyone yet."

Her daughter agrees.

"One of my greatest hopes for the future is that we all have opportunities to reach these places," she says. “First, we need to learn to respect others' beliefs, way of being and thinking."

Cecilia in Guatemala

"I wish there was a secondary school in my community," says Cecilia, 15, of La Pista Nebaj, Quiché, Guatemala.  "The only school we have goes up to sixth grade, so I had to stop studying. Thinking about it makes me sad, but I’ve come to accept that I won’t continue my education.

"Now, I sometimes work as a domestic worker and sew items to sell," Cecilia continues. "I dream of becoming an artisan. My grandmother is teaching me how to weave traditional huipiles, and I would like to specialize in that."

Cecilia's mother, Juana Brito, wants more for her daughter.

"When I was fifteen, I faced the same challenges," Juana says. "I got married at a very young age, when I was sixteen. And while my daughter has come to terms with not continuing her education, I am still fighting to change her mind so she can have a better future."

"We are strong women in our family," adds Cecilia's grandmother, Juana Corio. "Strength is essential for us. Women must learn the skills needed to care for the home, nurture children and family, and sometimes work as well. We need resilience to handle it all."

Soraya in Madagascar

Louisette of Madagascar, mother of Soraya, 15, did not attend school when she was her daughter's age.

"I was working as a seller," Louisette says. "What Soraya and I have in common today is that, after studying, she either joins me at the market or takes care of household chores like cooking, fetching water and cleaning. I spend less time on chores and focus more on earning money for our needs."

For Soraya, education is the key to her future. "My main goal is to succeed in my studies so I can go abroad," she says. "When I grow up, I want to become a nurse, a doctor or an accountant."

Marina in Moldova

Raisa, mother of 15-year-old Marina, recalls her own teenage life in Moldova.

"The biggest challenge I faced was the pressure to live up to others' expectations and the lack of freedom in my choices," Raisa says.

Her daughter feels similar pressures. "Girls now have more opportunities, but they still face prejudices," Marina says.

Growing up with special educational needs, Marina describes a better world for girls as one where they can act without fear of judgment.

"Social pressure and beauty standards are some of the biggest challenges facing girls today," Marina says. "But I try to focus on what makes me happy, rather than on others."

Jovensha in Papua New Guinea

For Barbie, mother of Jovensha, 14, the biggest challenge she faced as a teenager in Papua New Guinea was getting an education.

"My parents practiced favoritism; they wanted their sons to go to school first," Barbie says." I obeyed and stayed home. But now I see that times have slowly changed. People are realizing girls have potential too."

Barbie made a promise that her own daughter would never be denied her rights as she was. Today, Jovensha goes to school alongside her brothers. 

"When I finish school, I want to work in a male-dominated field," Jovensha says. "I want to work as an engineer in a gold mine. That’s my hope and dream for the future.”

Nadiya in Ukraine

Three generations of women from one family compare perspectives.

"We didn't face the kinds of challenges kids do today," says Olena of Ukraine, mother to 15-year-old Nadiya. "At fifteen, life was carefree, full of energy, bright. We spent more time talking face to face."

"Everyone's fifteen is wonderful in its own way," adds Tetiana, Nadiya's grandmother. "I grew up and finished school without electricity – we simply didn't have it. But teenagers of my granddaughter’s generation are very open to the world."

“My generation grew up with the internet,” Nadiya says. "Since childhood, we saw perfect women, flawless images. But over time you realize that kind of perfection doesn't exist. You just have to be yourself. The main thing is to know you matter."

Related: The impact of UNICEF's humanitarian response to full-scale war in Ukraine.

This story is based on an article originally published on unicef.org.

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