Gender Norms and Sexual Health Behaviors

Gender, our social conditioning as males and females, is an important determinant of sexual risk taking behaviors. Gendered attitudes and beliefs like “the more sex I have, the more manly I will be ” or “sometimes you have to do what your boyfriend wants, even if you don’t want to, so that he doesn’t break up with you, ” pressure many boys and girls into engaging in sexual behavior that they may not want, and as a consequence increase their risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The first article in this series on gender and sexual health explored definitions of gender and gender equality. In this article, we focus on how boys and girls are socialized to adopt gendered attitudes and behaviors and how traditional and rigid gender norms affect sexual risk taking behavior. When does gender socialization begin? Think about one of the baby announcements you received in the last few years. Usually the first question from family and friends to the new parents is: “Was it a boy or a girl? ” At that point, the gender socialization of that baby begins. More often than not, girls will be given pink clothes and boys will be given blue clothes. As the baby turns into a toddler, girls often receive dolls and tea sets, and boys often receive sports equipment and toy cars. Later, as children are assigned chores around the house, it is usually the boys who do the outside work (e.g., take out the garbage and do yard work), while the girls do the inside work (e.g., clea