March 9, 2017

Certificate capstone brings together experts in adolescent health to understand early gender socialization

In fulfillment of her Global WACh Certificate Capstone, Marina Plesons worked with a team of adolescent, sexual, and reproductive health professionals from the WHO, USAID, Gates Foundation, and the David & Lucille Packard Foundation to write a commentary for the Journal of Adolescent Health. The paper considers the implications for action and research of the Global Early Adolescent Study’s formative qualitative research on gender socialization.

The Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) aims to understand the factors in early adolescence that predispose young people to subsequent sexual health risks, and conversely promote sexual and reproductive health and well-being. In her capstone presentation last week, Marina commented on the fact that ages 10-14 are among the most critical for human development, but are a comparatively poorly understood life stage. This work thus serves to investigate the social processes that shape young people’s health and development, especially as this relates to gender norms informing adolescent sexuality.

Gender inequities are a key underlying determinant of the sex-specific differentials in morbidity and mortality of adults, and adolescents. Gender inequities manifest in different ways, such as discriminatory laws, policies, and socio-cultural practices or unequal power, access, and control over resources. At the root of inequities are gender norms and attitudes, which prescribe different status, power, access, and behaviors (including in relationships) according to culturally appropriate expectations for males and females. If we understand how gender norms for young adolescents are enforced, reinforced, challenged, and accepted, then we can be better address these in programs and interventions to improve adolescent and adult health.

Marina’s contributions to the paper included key themes in which gender norms and attitudes manifest in the lives of young adolescents, their peers, and their families in a number of countries. The team then extrapolated seven key programmatic and policy recommendations for ways that the global community can promote gender equitable norms and attitudes in early adolescence.

We can expect the paper to be included as part of a Journal of Adolescent Health special supplement this year, featuring the results from Marina’s work. We look forward to sharing when it is released!

Throughout her capstone and internship with the WHO, Marina also worked closely with her faculty advisor, Dr. Donna Denno.

Marina Plesons is an MPH candidate in the department of Global Health, and President and Co-founder of Health Advocacy Innovations, Inc.