Emergence of Gender Inequitable Practice in Adolescence

This community-partnered project builds on an existing partnership with a diverse school district in Pittsburgh, which has been implementing “Coaching Boys into Men” (CBIM) in their middle and high schools. Engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls and to improve health outcomes for both sexes is recognized by major global health organizations as a critical public health strategy. This research project focuses on understanding the mechanisms for the emergence of gender inequitable attitudes in early adolescence, employing unique community-partnered research methods including Concept Mapping, Visual Voices, and a stakeholder-informed review of gender-specific prevention prgrams. This community-partnered approach is expected to translate into improving the timing, approach, and measures used in gender violence prevention and related public health programs with the goal of identifying how to change cultural norms around masculinity. (Funded by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R24HD080194)