Young Adolescents’ Endorsement of Restrictive Gender Norms: Evidence From a Community-Based Intervention in Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Leer, Jane; Gassman‐Pines, Anna; Blé, Eric Djé; Kainessie, Josephine; Kennedy, Christopher; Press, Sarah; Schubert, Heidi

doi:10.1177/02724316211036742

Cited by 1 publication

(7 citation statements)

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“…This study found that girls are three times more likely to have egalitarian views on gender role than boys. This finding is in line with other studies where girls held more egalitarian attitudes ( 39 – 41 ). Girls may tend to be more egalitarian because they are the primary victims of gender discrimination upheld by the patriarchy, and thus have more to gain from favoring an egalitarian society ( 39 , 42 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Girls may tend to be more egalitarian because they are the primary victims of gender discrimination upheld by the patriarchy, and thus have more to gain from favoring an egalitarian society ( 39 , 42 ). Boys hold more social power as members of a higher status group and may want to maintain their position in the social hierarchy ( 39 , 43 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another possibility for the boys' conservative attitudes is that gender stereotypes tend to be more rigid for men and boys. During early adolescence, gender attitudes become more ingrained, but they can become more flexible over time if a child's environment is sufficiently egalitarian ( 39 , 44 – 46 ). However, boys tend to be limited by more rigid masculine norms, as attributes associated with masculinity tend to be less flexible than those associated with femininity ( 46 – 48 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Keeping both girls and boys in school is critical for development of egalitarian attitudes, as adolescents are socialized by classroom peers ( 39 , 53 ). Through the “hidden curriculum,” adolescents learn gender stereotypes by internalizing subtle messages about what is expected of each gender ( 46 , 55 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our study did not evaluate the gender attitudes held by adolescents' parents, which may be a useful direction in future research. Parental attitudes are a significant predictor of children's attitudes toward gender, as parents perform practices in the household that reflect their gender attitudes ( 39 , 53 ). In turn, children construct similar attitudes to their parents' ( 66 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What shapes attitudes on gender roles among adolescents in Bangladesh

Rahman

Khan

Haider

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundIn Bangladesh, large gender differentials exist in outcomes in almost all spheres of life, stemming from conservative norms and attitudes around gender. Adolescence is a crucial period for social-emotional learning that can shape gender norms and attitudes.ObjectiveThe aim of the paper is to investigate the extent to which adolescents hold egalitarian attitudes toward gender roles, and to examine the factors that influence egalitarian gender attitudes.MethodsThe paper uses data from a nationally representative sample survey of 7,800 unmarried girls and 5,523 unmarried boys ages 15–19 years. Adolescents were considered to have egalitarian attitudes on gender role if they disagreed with all the following four unequal gender role statements with regards to socio-economic participation, while respondents who agreed with any one of the four statements were considered to have non-egalitarian attitudes: (1) It is important that sons have more education than daughters, (2) Outdoor games are only for boys, not girls, (3) Household chores are for women only, not for men, even if the woman works outside the home, and (4) Women should not be allowed to work outside the home. Multivariable linear probability regression analysis was implemented to identify the factors shaping attitudes on gender roles.ResultsUnmarried girls and boys differ hugely in their views on gender roles regarding socio economic participation-girls were much more egalitarian than boys (58 vs. 19%). The multivariate linear probability model results show girls and boys who completed at least grade 10 were 31% points and 15% points more likely to have egalitarian views on gender roles respectively, compared to girls and boys with primary or less education. Having strong connection with parents is associated with having egalitarian views on gender roles among girls but not boys. Adolescents' individual attitude on gender role is highly associated with the views of their community peers for both girls and boys. Girls and boys who had participated in adolescent programs were 6–7% points more likely to have egalitarian attitude than those who were not exposed to these programs. Egalitarian views were also significantly higher, by 5% points among girls and 6% points among boys, who were members of social organizations compared to those who were not. Watching television had positive influence on egalitarian attitudes among girls but not among boys. To create a more egalitarian society, both men and women need to hold progressive attitudes toward gender roles. The interventions must be multilevel, influencing adolescents at the personal, interpersonal, communal, and societal levels.

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