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Girls often face systemic barriers to civic and political participation because of their age and gender. Despite comprising more than 50% of the world's population, women are underrepresented at all levels of public sector decision-making. According to a World Economic Forum report, it will take more than 100 years to achieve gender parity in political participation.
School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed nearly 743 million girls around the world out of school, on top of the approximately 132 million between the ages of 6 and 17 already out of school prior to the pandemic. An additional 2.5 million girls are at risk of child marriage between 2020 and 2025, in addition to the 12 million adolescent girls under 18 who are already expected to marry annually.
The Girls LEAD (Leadership, Engagement, Agency, and Development) Act promotes girls' leadership and participation in civic and political processes through U.S. foreign assistance.
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