A Better World for Girls Begins With Raising Boys Who Believe in One
Not long ago, I visited a school in Cambodia where Room to Read was piloting a life skills program for adolescent boys. I will never forget the conversation I started with a boy who told me that he once teased a classmate for having a period stain on her clothing. But after participating in a session about menstruation and learning about empathy through the program, he recognized how wrong his actions had been. The next time he saw the same thing happen to a classmate, he immediately offered his jacket and helped her get a sanitary pad. His voice was filled with pride as he explained his actions, enthusiastically sharing that the life skills he learned helped him change the way he thinks and behaves.
That moment has stayed with me. His was perhaps a simple gesture, but one that signaled something far greater: the ability of adolescent boys to reflect, grow, and change their attitudes and behavior. And it reinforced a truth that has become increasingly clear in our work — gender equality will remain out of reach if boys are not part of the solution.
This October, as the global community marks International Day of the Girl, we’ll hear urgent calls to invest in girls’ education. These calls are essential — and yet, they only go halfway. True progress demands that we also invest in boys: in how they are taught to see themselves, treat others and contribute to a more equitable world.
Understanding Life Skills: What They Are and Why They Matter
Adolescence is a critical window for shaping values, behaviors and aspirations. Both boys and girls growing up today are navigating a complex world — marked by climate anxiety, economic pressure, evolving technology and shifting gender expectations. Yet too often, they are left to face these challenges without the tools or support systems they need.
Life skills education helps fill that gap. According to the World Health Organization, life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. These include skills like critical thinking, empathy, decision-making, and stress management.
For the past 25 years, Room to Read has supported millions of adolescent girls across the world in developing the life skills they need to promote gender equality. We believe that these skills are essential not just for academic success, but for transforming children into leaders who address the world’s most pressing challenges – at the individual, family, community and global levels. Our curriculum provides girls the opportunity to develop skills and make informed decisions about their lives in areas such as sexual and reproductive health, financial literacy, climate change and safety and rights – and we've seen them successfully navigate poverty, forced marriage, harassment, and crisis.
Our research shows that life skills catalyze change: Ninety-six percent of girls in our program who remain enrolled in school advance to the next grade. By the end of our program, girls report a higher intended age of marriage — rising to 25.6 as they prioritize education and career ambitions. Their aspirations reflected this shift, with growing numbers aiming to become business professionals and medical workers. Among five-year alumni, 79 percent had either been enrolled in tertiary education or employed.
But even the most confident, capable girls face barriers when their communities — and the boys and men around them — are not on the same path. If a girl is taught to speak up in class, but her male classmates interrupt or mock her, the lesson is lost. If she’s encouraged to dream of a career, but her brother or father expect her to stay home and or enter a forced marriage, her options shrink.
Introducing Life Skills for Boys
To help boys develop the skills to challenge the harmful gender norms that limit them, and their female peers, from reaching their full potential, Room to Read recently developed the Life Skills for Equality Project (LSEP) — a pilot curriculum tailored specifically for adolescent boys.
The program leads boys through weekly sessions designed to help them understand and articulate the value of gender equality — not just for girls and women, but for themselves and their communities. Through lessons on emotional regulation, healthy relationships, societal expectations, and responsible decision-making, boys learn to improve their well-being, support their peers, and stand up against violence and harassment in school settings. They also gain the tools to better manage academic and personal challenges, equipping them to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
Results in Cambodia were strong and promising. Teachers reported that boys were more engaged, more respectful toward girls, and more collaborative in class. Participants shared that they learned to manage their emotions better, listen actively, and rethink assumptions about male and female roles.
Over the two-year program, boys demonstrated statistically significant improvement in their ability to express and manage emotions — key life skills that support healthy relationships and reduce violence. Their average score on this measure rose from 2.5 to 2.7. Notably, these gains were not visible at the program’s midpoint, suggesting that it took boys the full two years of consistent engagement to meaningfully develop this emotional competency.
Boys’ aspirations for their futures also shifted in meaningful ways. By the end of the program, boys reported a higher intended age of marriage for themselves. While career aspirations fluctuated over time, the most notable trend was a significant decline in the number of boys who saw farming as their future path — which may reflect a broadening of horizons and the growing ambition to pursue diverse, aspirational career options.
One 16-year-old boy said he used to believe he was naturally superior to his female classmates. But after participating in life skills sessions, he began to question those beliefs. He now shares household responsibilities at home, encourages equal participation in group work, and is recognized by peers and teachers for his respectful, empathetic demeanor.
A deputy school director in Cambodia shared how his perspective changed after participating in Room to Read’s training. He had previously struggled to address issues like gender bias and low self-esteem among students. But after learning to integrate life skills into everyday lessons, he began to see his classroom differently. Today, he mentors other teachers and challenges stereotypes openly – encouraging boys to share household responsibilities and girls to speak up.
These are not isolated examples. They reflect a deeper shift in how boys view themselves and their relationships with others. And they show what’s possible when we invest in boys not to reinforce power, but to reshape it. Change is possible at the systems level: in response to the proven success of the pilot, Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports adopted Room to Read’s life skills curriculum for use in grades 7 to 9, making more room for life skills that promote gender equality in lower secondary classrooms across the country.
A Call to Act — Now
Achieving true gender equality requires a transformative approach that includes both girls and boys as equal partners in change. While educating girls remains critical, it is not enough on its own to dismantle deep-rooted systems. Equipping all adolescents — regardless of gender — with essential life skills enables them to challenge stereotypes and build a more equitable world.
We cannot raise equal futures by reaching only half the classroom. Now is the time to recognize that gender equality is everyone’s responsibility — and to act accordingly. Because a better world for girls begins with raising boys who believe in one.