Assessing the influence of gender socialization on early adolescents’ behaviors and perceptions towards sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence in low socio-economic, urban neighborhoods, Cape Town: a quantitative study

Cooper, DianeKinoshita, Rinko2023-05-042024-11-072023-05-042024-11-072023https://hdl.handle.net/10566/19235Philosophiae Doctor - PhDEarly adolescents (EAs), aged between 10 and 14, account for half of 1.2 billion adolescents worldwide. During early adolescence (EA), many EAs experience puberty and social and cognitive shifts. This is a period when gender norms are shaped manifesting in their perceptions and behaviors. Unequal gender norms may negatively affect adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), including early pregnancy, violence, and mental health. There is a paucity of evidence on how EAs construct gender norms, and how unequal gender norms may impact their health and well-being.enSexual and reproductive healthGender-based violenceMental healthAbuseAdolescentsCape TownAssessing the influence of gender socialization on early adolescents’ behaviors and perceptions towards sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence in low socio-economic, urban neighborhoods, Cape Town: a quantitative studyUniversity of the Western Cape