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

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.