Gender Norms, Masculinity and Femininity, and Sexual Violence: Cross-Perspectives on Adolescent Girls in the Province of Bougouriba (Burkina Faso)

Rodrigue Babaekpa, ISSP

Research on sexual violence against adolescent girls generally fails to explore the subtleties specific to representations of gender, masculinity and femininity norms. In addition, questions exist about the way in which these norms are measured and taken into account in the analysis of this violence. This paper aims to improve knowledge on the links between adolescent girls' representations of the sexual double standard and gender stereotyped traits and sexual violence against them. The data comes from a quantitative survey on sexual violence against adolescents in the province of Bougouriba (Burkina Faso) carried out in 2021, with a sample of 754 adolescent girls. The analyses carried out (bivariate and multivariate) reveal that adolescent girls' disagreement with the unequal norms of the sexual double standard is associated with a higher risk of sexual violence. Similarly, neutrality in the face of gender stereotypes significantly increases the risk of sexual violence for these adolescent girls. In addition, the results suggest complex associations with control variables such as age, family structure, relationship status, educational level, alcohol consumption, etc.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Children, Adolescents, and Youth

See extended abstract.