Socio-cultural Barriers in the Personal Growth of Rural Adolescent Girls

Even today in the 21st century India, the psychosocial and cultural environments have innumerable prejudiced traditions and redundant customs: dowry, child marriage, illiteracy, physical and mental violence, etc. The Indian girls because of their secondary status in the society may have low self-esteem and poor psychological well-being. Thus it becomes important to study the psychosocial and cultural barriers faced by Indian girls in order to offer a timely correction that can help them play a substantial role in shaping-up the future village society. The broad objective of the present study was to identify the psychosocial and cultural barriers in a village society which hindering to get girls’ full potential. Two hundred and ten participants, between the age group of 13-19 years, from District Rohtak in Haryana (India), responded in a specific survey. Interviews and focus group discussions were also held. About 10 discourses were taken with rural women. Results obtained show certain factors as inhibitors (e.g. harmful traditional practices, conflicting situations, gender discrimination etc.). The implication of the findings in providing directions to policy makers, social scientists, and health practitioners towards rural areas regarding adolescent girls has been discussed.