Implications of the Global Early Adolescent Study's Formative Research Findings for Action and for Research
Gender norms and attitudes, shaped in early childhood and adolescence, become entrenched over time (We distinguish “norms” as widely shared social expectations from “attitudes,” which reflect individual beliefs related to gender equality). For example, almost half of adolescents (15–19 years), including both boys and girls from a range of countries, agree that wife-beating is justified in some situations. Within this context, the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) was conceptualized to better understand: (1) how gender socialization (We define gender socialization as the process of learning widely shared social expectations [i.e., norms] and attitudes associated with one's sex.) occurs in early adolescence (10–14 years); (2) how gender norms and attitudes, including those related to sexuality, form in early adolescence; (3) how these evolving norms and attitudes shape health trajectories as individuals transition through adolescence into adulthood; and (4) appropriate measures and methods for research on these issues for this age group. The GEAS is being conducted in two phases. Phase 1 (2013–2016) consisted of formative research to identify domains or themes related to young adolescents' norms and attitudes and developed tools to measure changes in these norms and attitudes. Phase 2 (2017–2020) is being designed from the findings of Phase 1 and will follow cohorts of young adolescents over 3 years to understand how gender norms and attitudes evolve and influence health behaviors and outcomes. The articles presented in this supplement describe the various findings of the Phase 1 studies in eight low-, middle-, and high-income countries (Belgium, China, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Scotland, and the United States).