Young women can significantly improve their educational and economic prospects by learning negotiation skills at an early age, according to findings from a long-running research project in Zambia. The research suggests that relatively short training programmes can have effects that continue for more than a decade, helping girls remain in education, pursue higher studies and make different choices about marriage.
The project involved groups of 12- and 13-year-old girls who received 12 hours of negotiation training spread across three weeks. The classes were conducted by young local women who had completed their own education and were involved in developing the curriculum. Researchers subsequently compared the girls with a control group that received empowerment classes from the same instructors but did not receive the negotiation component.
The follow-up findings indicated notable differences between the two groups. Girls who received negotiation training were more likely to remain in school for longer periods and were more likely to eventually graduate from college. They were also less likely to marry significantly older men. Researchers said the results pointed to the possibility that negotiation is not simply an innate ability but a skill that can be taught and developed.
The research was initiated after the Zambian government sought to understand why some girls were not progressing to secondary education. Researchers, including University of Pennsylvania economist Corinne Low and economist Nava Ashraf, initially expected that girls might cite a lack of interest in school. Instead, discussions with young women revealed that many wanted to continue their education but struggled to persuade parents or other relatives to pay school fees.
The researchers found that family perceptions played an important role. In some households, sons were viewed as future providers who would support their parents, while daughters were sometimes regarded as more vulnerable to social problems. This created a situation in which girls needed to persuade family members about the value of investing in their education.
The training therefore focused not simply on demanding what the girls wanted, but on helping them understand the interests and concerns of the people with whom they were negotiating. One of the central lessons was that a negotiation could be more successful when the other person was not treated as an opponent but as someone whose concerns also needed to be understood.
The programme also acknowledged the social hierarchies in which the girls lived. Participants were taught to consider culturally appropriate ways of approaching parents and elders, including demonstrating respect through formal language and traditional customs. Researchers said the approach was based on the reality that the girls did not necessarily hold decision-making power within their households.
Although such an approach may appear contradictory to the idea of empowerment, the researchers argued that recognising existing power structures could provide girls with practical tools to achieve their immediate goals. Surveys conducted later suggested that parents also believed relationships with their daughters had improved, describing the girls as more respectful, cooperative and understanding.
The programme has since expanded beyond the original research setting. Its methods have been incorporated into Zambia’s curriculum and adapted in other countries. The researchers are also working towards a 15-year follow-up of the original participants, who are now women in their 20s, to determine whether the benefits have continued into adulthood.
A version of the programme has also been adapted for girls in Afghanistan. The NGO Free to Run has recently used online classes based on the material, reaching around 1,200 girls. In a country where restrictions have severely limited women’s education, employment and freedom of movement, organisers say negotiation skills can provide practical benefits even within highly restrictive circumstances.
The skills can help girls negotiate everyday decisions within their families, such as seeking permission to visit friends or travel outside their homes. Organisers also said the ability to communicate calmly and explain their circumstances can be useful when women encounter authorities while carrying out routine activities.
Researchers acknowledge that individual skills alone cannot overcome wider political, social and economic inequalities. Structural barriers, discriminatory norms and restrictions on women’s rights continue to have a far greater influence on women’s economic opportunities. However, the findings suggest that equipping girls with practical negotiation skills could be a relatively simple way of helping them navigate existing barriers while broader efforts toward gender equality continue.
The research ultimately points to a broader conclusion: women’s ability to exercise economic and social power may not be determined entirely by the circumstances into which they are born. With appropriate training and support, young women can develop skills that help them communicate their interests, negotiate with those who hold greater authority and make decisions that can shape their education and future economic lives.
