Missing girls in urban slums of the Global South? Exploring the intersections between puberty, poverty and gender Inequality

If analysis of the interrelations between urbanisation, gender and poverty in developing country contexts has only recently come onto the radar of scholarship and policy interventions, then it could be levelled that the situation of adolescent girls has taken even more of a backseat. Despite recent ‘Smart Economics’ discourse on the need to invest in younger generations of women to maximise the returns to development and gender equality, in actuality little importance has been accorded to dedicated research on, or policy interventions for, early adolescent females in urban slums whose prospects of exiting poverty frequently come up against massive constraints at menarche. This paper, which draws on recent work by the authors for the DfID-funded Gender and Global Evidence consortium project managed by the Overseas Development Institute, identifies the critical need for prioritising research on, and action for, this hitherto marginalised group in order to create more gender-equitable urban futures. Discussing some of the main reasons why menarche presents such a vital moment in women’s lives and the particular challenges encountered by young female residents in urban slums, we highlight the need for intersectional approaches to urban planning and development that engage adolescent girls as meaningful – rather than ‘missing’ - stakeholders.