ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book describes that realising gender justice would require both personal empowerment and transformation of unjust social arrangements, requiring change in the political, economic and social arenas. Political commitment to gender equality, to enhancing opportunities for all young people, and to ending harmful practices is often a key driver of sustainable change in gender norms. In the pursuit of power and authority and moral privilege, maintaining girls' lesser power – including ignorance of their own bodies and reproductive potential, alongside limiting girls' autonomy. In Nepal, the rise of elopement-based marriages and adolescent access to social media were said to explain some similar patterns. At the core of norm change – and specifically norms that keep girls from achieving their potential capabilities – lie powerful structures of patriarchy, which change slowly.
