Abstract
In a non-Western African society, like Ghana, the resources and opportunities available to facilitate optimal youth development do not only fall short but also appear to be unevenly distributed across gender, with females at a disadvantage. In a Western society like Norway, such gender inequality is addressed with political initiatives. The present chapter reviews cultural, economic, and political structures of the two countries and explores how these structures may reflect country and gender differences in the experience of developmental assets among youth and emerging adults in Ghana (n = 483) and Norway (n = 625). The chapter suggests that relative to Ghana, young people in Norway experience more optimal environment for development, largely present among females who reported most of the assets. The anticipated gender inequality in Ghana was not confirmed as females reported equal and in some cases, even more assets relative to their male counterparts. While the gender equality policy in Norway aims to promote equity in the accessibility of resources and opportunities, females in Norway reported more developmental assets than males. The emerged country and gender differences suggest promoting national research, policy and practice to enhance developmental assets and subsequently thriving among youth and emerging adults in both Ghana and Norway.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abdul Kadir, N. B., Mohd, R. H., & Dimitrova, R. (this volume). Promoting mindfulness through the 7Cs of positive youth development in Malaysia. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
Adams, B. G., Wiium, N., & Abubakar, A. (2019). Developmental assets and academic performance of adolescents in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-018-9480-z
Akoto, E. O. (2020). Profiles of ideological and instrumental union bonds: A test in the U.S. and Ghana contexts. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(7), 835–858. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1383288
Arnett, J. J. (2018). Foreword. In R. Dimitrova (Ed.), Well-being of youth and emerging adults across cultures. Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319683621
Asare-Danso, S. (2018). Moral education and the curriculum: The Ghanaian experience. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management, 6(1), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsrm/v6i1.el05
Ayentimi, D. T., Abadi, H. A., Adjei, B., & Burgess, J. (2020). Gender equity and inclusion in Ghana, good intentions, uneven progress. Labour and Industry: A Journal of the Social and Economic Relations of Work, 30(1), 66–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2019.1697486
Beck, M., & Wiium, N. (2019). Promoting academic achievement within a positive youth development framework. Norsk Epidemiologi, 28(1–2), 79–87. http://hdl.handle.net/1956/22230
Benson, P. L. (2007). Developmental assets: An overview of theory, research, and practice. In R. Silbereisen & R. Lerner (Eds.), Approaches to positive youth development (pp. 33–59). London: Sage.
Benson, P. L., Scales, P. C., Leffert, N., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (1999). A fragile foundation: The state of developmental assets among American youth. Minneapolis, MN: The Search Institute.
Bergan, Ø. (2017). Country sheet on youth policy in Norway. https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/47262376/Country-sheet-Norway-2017.pdf/f193d7f5-5b6a-b9d9-21e9-b71fb5563483
Boateng, J. S. (2020). Contemporary expressions of populism for gender equality in Ghana. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 4(1), 112–119. https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-4-issue-1/112-119.pdf
Chen, B.-B., Wiium, N., & Dimitrova, R. (2018). A life history approach to understanding developmental assets among Chinese adolescents. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 155–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9433-y
Commonwealth Secretariat. (2016). Global youth development index and report. https://books.thecommonwealth.org/global-youth-development-index-and-report-2016-paperback
Dako-Gyeke, M., & Owusu, P. (2013). A qualitative study exploring factors contributing to gender inequality in rural Ghana. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 4(1), 481–489. http://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/11608
Desie, Y. (2020). From surviving to thriving: Characterizing positive youth development among youth in Ethiopia. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 200–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1608272
Dimitrova, R. (Ed.) (2018). Well-being of youth and emerging adults across cultures. Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319683621
Dimitrova, R., Buzea, C., Wiium, N., Kosic, M., Stefenel, D., & Chen, B.-B. (this volume). Positive youth development in Bulgaria, Italy, Norway and Romania: Testing the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the 5Cs model. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
Dimitrova, R., Fernandes, D., Malik, S., Suryani, A., Musso, P., & Wiium, N. (this volume). The 7Cs and developmental assets models of positive youth development in India, Indonesia and Pakistan. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
Dimitrova, R., Sam, D., & Ferrer-Wreder, L. (Eds.) (2021). Roma minority youth across cultural contexts: Taking a positive approach to research, policy and practice. New York: Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/roma-minority-youth-across-cultural-contexts-9780190654061?q=dimitrova&lang=en&cc=us#
Dimitrova, R., & Wiium, N. (this volume). Handbook of positive youth development: Advancing the next generation of research, policy and practice in global contexts. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
Drescher, C. F., Chin, E. G., Johnson, L. R., & Johnson-Pynn, J. S. (2012). Exploring developmental assets in Ugandan youth. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 3(4.1), 500–520. https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs34.1201211557
Drescher, C. F., Johnson, L. R., Kurz, A. S., Scales, P. C., & Kiliho, R. P. (2018). A developmental assets approach in East Africa: Can Swahili measures capture adolescent strengths and supports? Child & Youth Care Forum, 47(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9415-0
Equality. (2014). The Norwegian government’s gender equality action plan. http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/BLD/Action_plan_2014.pdf
Fernandes, D., Fetvadjev, V., Wiium, N., & Dimitrova, R. (this volume). The 5Cs of PYD model in New Zealand: Relations with hopeful expectations for the future and life satisfaction among emerging adults. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
Forneris, T., Camiré, M., & Williamson, R. (2015). Extracurricular activity participation and the acquisition of developmental assets: Differences between involved and non-involved Canadian high school students. Applied Developmental Science, 19(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2014.980580
Ghana Ministry of Youth and Sports. (2010). National youth policy of Ghana. The Republic of Ghana.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2018). Population and housing census: Summary report of final results. Accra, Ghana: Sakoa Press Limited.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014
Howard, L. M., Heron, K. E., MacIntyre, R. I., Myers, T. A., & Everhart, R. S. (2017). Is use of social networking sites associated with young women’s body dissatisfaction and disordered eating? A look at Black–White racial differences. Body Image, 23, 109–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.08.008
Kaur, A., Yusof, N., Awang-Hashim, R., Ramli, R., Dalib, S., Azizuddin Mohd Sani, M., et al. (2019). The role of developmental assets for prosocial behaviours among adolescents in Malaysia. Children and Youth Services Review, 107, Article 104489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104489
Kim-Prieto, C., & Eid, M. (2004). Norms for experiencing emotions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5(3), 241–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-8787-2
Kozina, A., Wiium, N., Gonzalez, J.-M., & Dimitrova, R. (2019). Positive youth development and academic achievement in Slovenia. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-018-9457-y
LeFebvre, R., & Franke, V. (2013). Culture matters: Individualism vs. collectivism in conflict decision-making. Societies, 3(1), 128–146. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc3010128
Manrique-Millones, D. L., Pineda Marin, C. P., Millones-Rivalles, R. B., & Dimitrova, R. (this volume). The 7Cs of positive youth development in Colombia and Peru: A promising model for reduction of risky behaviors among youth and emerging adults. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
Nygren, K., Walsh, J., Ellingson, I., & Alastair, C. (2020). Gender, parenting and practices in child welfare social work? A comparative study from England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. British Journal of Social Work, Article bcaa085. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa085
Pashak, T. J., Handal, P. J., & Scales, P. C. (2018). Protective factors for the college years: Establishing the appropriateness of the developmental assets model for emerging adults. Current Psychology, 37(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-016-9488-1
Ravn, M. N. (2020). A matter of free choice? Some structural and cultural influences on the decision to have or not to have children in Norway. In C. B. Douglass (Ed.), Barren states: The population “implosion” in Europe (pp. 28–47). London: Routledge.
Roehlkepartain, E. C., & Blyth, D. A. (2020). Developmental assets. In S. Hupp & J. Jewell (Eds.), The encyclopedia of child and adolescent development. Volume 7: History, theory & culture in adolescence (pp. 1–13). New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
Rutkowski, L., & Svetina, D. (2017). Measurement invariance in international surveys: Categorical indicators and fit measure performance. Applied Measurement in Education, 30(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2016.1243540
Satheesan, S., & Hameed, N. (2018). Gender differences in developmental assets profile of college going youth: A report from India. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 5(2), 714–720. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20180256
Scales, P. C. (2011). Youth developmental assets in global perspective: Results from international adaptations of the developmental assets profile. Child Indicators Research, 4(4), 619–645. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-011-9112-8
Scales, P. C., Benson, P. L., Leffert, N., & Blyth, D. A. (2000). Contribution of developmental assets to the prediction of thriving among adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 4(1), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532480XADS0401_3
Scales, P. C., & Leffert, N. (2004). Developmental assets: A synthesis of the scientific research on adolescent’s development. Minneapolis, MN: The Search Institute.
Scales, P. C., Roehlkepartain, E. C., & Shramko, M. (2017). Aligning youth development theory, measurement, and practice across cultures and contexts: Lessons from use of the developmental assets profile. Child Indicators Research, 10(4), 1145–1178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-016-9395-x
Search Institute. (2020). The developmental assets® framework. Search Institute. https://www.search-institute.org/our-research/development-assets/
Soares, A. S., Pais-Ribeiro, J. L., & Silva, I. (2019). Developmental assets predictors of life satisfaction in adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 236. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00236
Statistic Solutions. (2018). Conduct and interpret a factorial ANOVA. http://www.statisticssolutions.com/conduct-interpret-factorial-anova/
Statistics Norway. (2019). Population, by age, contents and year. https://www.ssb.no/
Stewart, F., & Yermo, J. (2009). Pensions in Africa. OECD working papers on insurance and private pensions, No 30. OECD Publishing© OECD. https://www.oecd.org/pensions/private-pensions/42052117.pdf
The Women’s Manifesto for Ghana. (2004). The women’s manifesto for Ghana. The Coalition on the Women’s Manifesto for Ghana. https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/ghana/02983.pdf
Uka, F., Bërxulli, D., Hasani, A., Peci, B., Taravari, B., & Wiium, N. (this volume). Developmental assets, academic achievement and risky behaviors among Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development. Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030702618
UNESCO Institute of Statistics. (2018). Ghana. http://uis.unesco.org/country/GH
United Nations. (2012). Population facts. Towards global equity in longevity. United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/popfacts/popfacts_2012-2.1.pdf
van de Schoot, R., Lugtig, P., & Hox, J. (2012). A checklist for testing measurement invariance. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(4), 486–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.686740
Vera-Bachmann, D., Gálvez-Nieto, J. L., Trizano-Hermosilla, I., Salvo-Garrido, S., & Polanco, K. (2020). Psychometric study of the scale for the assessment of developmental assets in the neighborhood in a sample of Chilean adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 972. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00972
Wiium, N. (2018). Thriving and contribution among emerging adults in Ghana. In R. Dimitrova (Ed.), Well-being of youth and emerging adults across cultures (pp. 75–93). Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319683621
Wiium, N., & Dimitrova, R. (2019). Positive youth development across cultures. Introduction to the Special Issue. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 147–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09488-7
Wiium, N., Dost-Gözkan, A., & Kosic, M. (2019). Developmental assets among young people in three European contexts: Italy, Norway and Turkey. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 187–206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-018-9446-1
World Economic Forum. (2018). The global gender gap report.http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2018.pdf
Youth Policy Norway. (2014). Youth policy factsheets: Norway. http://www.youthpolicy.org/factsheets/country/norway/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wiium, N., Kozina, A. (2021). Country and Gender Differences in DevelopmentalAssets Among Youth and Emerging Adults in Ghana and Norway. In: Dimitrova, R., Wiium, N. (eds) Handbook of Positive Youth Development. Springer Series on Child and Family Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70262-5_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70262-5_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-70261-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-70262-5
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)