Gender Role Stereotyping & Masculinity Notions among School Going Adolescent in Western India – A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The notions of gender role and masculinity are carried on traditionally and thus get stereotyped. They have been documented to affect the health of adolescents in a complex way. Nearly 35% of the global burden of disease has its roots in adolescence and research shows that some of the major contributors to adolescent morbidity and mortality are somehow connected to gender role, masculinity and their stereotyping. Aim & Objectives: To document the prevalence of gender role stereotyping and masculinity among adolescents and explore the various factors responsible for the same. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents of a purposively selected school in western India using a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire and appropriate scales. Result: Majority of the respondents had scores higher than mean score, 68% for gender stereotyping and 66.1% for masculinity. Age, sex and caste have shown significant association in the masculinity score, especially among the older adolescents. Age, sex and Facebook account have shown significant association in the gender stereotyping score. Conclusion: Majority of the participants had stereotypical attitudes for both gender and masculinity. They were particularly higher in the late adolescents and significantly lower in those having a Facebook account.

Keywords

• Adolescent
• gender stereotyping
• masculinity
• School