On March 8th, 2021 (International Women’s Day), the Girls Leadership, Engagement, Agency and Development (LEAD) Act was launched via an engaging webinar. This bipartisan legislation, endorsed by IANGEL, recognizes and promotes girls’ civic and political leadership and involvement with U.S. foreign assistance programming. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Congressman David Trone (D-MD), Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-MA), Acting Administrator of USAID Gloria Steele, Selina Jackson from Procter & Gamble and a young activist from Brazil spoke about the need for this important legislation.
Participants highlighted the pressing need to build tools to increase girls’ participation in decision-making processes and to acknowledge the gender-related causes that prevent them from engaging in such processes. There was a call for action to invest in girls’ leadership to address the world’s most critical challenges. Covid-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities that affect women and girls in particular. This legislation aims not only to protect them but to give them a seat at the table. The Girls LEAD Act will help break down barriers that future world leaders are facing, and empower women from an early age.
The Girls LEAD Act: legislative history
A total of three identical bills have been introduced in Congress to promote girls’ leadership and participation in civic and political processes through U.S. foreign assistance. The first was proposed in 2019 by Sen. Susan Collins (S. 2766) and co-sponsored by 11 other senators, but it did not receive a vote.
On April 24, 2020, Rep. David Trone introduced the second Girls LEAD Act (H.R. 6626), which was co-sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. This time, the bill was sponsored by 45 representatives in total, but it was once again denied a vote. On March 9, 2021, Senator Susan Collins reintroduced the Girls LEAD Act in the Senate. The Act is co-sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and has now been endorsed by over 60 organizations, including IANGEL.
A more inclusive future for girls and women
Girls are important drivers of change. Strong examples can be found around the globe, with personalities as famous as Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai. When girls are empowered and given the opportunity to be involved in decision-making forums, not only is inclusivity achieved but a new generation of empowered women is created. The Girls LEAD Act aims at achieving just that: meaningful engagement and empowerment of adolescent girls. In doing so, the bill promotes investing in adolescent girls’ leadership potential, and ensuring that there are clear and defined pathways to positions of political leadership and civic engagement.
If passed, the Girls LEAD Act will establish U.S. policy promoting, supporting and empowering adolescent girls by creating a single strategy strengthening their participation in democracy, human rights and governance. The Act directs the Department of State and USAID to implement programming and to require annual reporting to keep track of its effects. The bill also acknowledges the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on girls and women, including its potentially devastating effect on girls’ education since so many girls have been forced to drop out of school due to the pandemic. The Act also addresses the fact that financial implications of the pandemic may fuel child marriages between 2020 and 2025.
Is the third time the charm?
Congress has a new opportunity to vote in favor of the Girls LEAD Act. This legislation, if passed, will be a steppingstone to advance gender equality. Empowering and ensuring the participation of adolescent girls in decision-making spaces, is a step towards a more inclusive society. People in leadership positions tend to make decisions based on what they know, which is why it is important to diversify the pipeline of future leaders by empowering adolescent girls. Through the funding of programming designed to strengthen girls’ civic and political participation, we will be creating engaged citizens and voters.
Gender equality in political and civic participation is crucial to sustaining democracies and global stability. Although it is not the gender equality panacea, the Girls LEAD Act is a step in the right direction. Implementation of the Act will provide a peek into what a more inclusive and just future can look like, where girls play a pivotal role in strengthening democracy, while dismantling patriarchal and anachronic gender norms.
Get involved!
Use your voice to make an enormous difference! Contact your elected officials in Congress and urge them to cosponsor and vote yes on the Girls LEAD Act. When Girls LEAD, a better world will follow.