Citation

Daruwalla N, Mishra T, Karandikar N, Pantvaidya S, Osrin D. Int. J. Adolesc. Youth 2018; 23(3): 308-324.

Affiliation

Institute for Global Health, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, A B Academic Publishers)

DOI

10.1080/02673843.2017.1371613

PMID

30101040

PMCID

PMC6068543

Abstract

Around 20% of India's population are adolescents aged 10-19 years. Our objective was to strengthen program interventions on gender equity, health, and participation by gauging adolescents' levels of understanding and opinions. In a cross-sectional survey, we interviewed 2005 adolescents on their opinions on rights, friendship and sex, sexual refusal and coercion, and communication with family, using a two-stage probability proportional to size sample. Opinions on gender allocations were generally equitable, although females supported clothing proscriptions. Premarital sex, multiple partners, masturbation and non-heterosexual partnerships were frowned upon. Few respondents said that they felt pressure to be sexually active, 79% said that sexual coercion was a form of violence, but 14% of older adolescents said that it would be unreasonable to refuse sex. Our interviews described young people negotiating the terrain between perceived normative expectations and contemporary aspirations, showing limited manoeuvring within assumed gender roles in which family control was prominent.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; India; Mumbai; poverty areas; sexuality