Youth and Parent Perspectives on

Relationship Rights and Gender Equality

findings from 11 focus groups

Public Health Institute

Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Sexuality Education Initiative

Francisca Angulo Olaiz, Mona Desai, Petra Jerman, Norman Constantine

Purpose of Study

The purpose of the study was to determine and explain youth and parents understanding and views regarding two topics as they relate to intimate relationships and sexual behavior.

human rights

gender equality

Research questions

1. What are youths’ understanding and views of human rights, especially as they relate to intimate relationships and sexual behavior?

2. What are youths’ understanding and views of gender equality?

3. What are parents’ understanding and views of human rights and gender equality?

Methods

11 focus groups

8 youth groups

3 parent groups

conducted in low-income, urban communities located in Los Angeles County

Participants

Youth Parents

total of 50 students total of 21 parents

high school students, grades 9-12

parents of a high school adolescent

• Latino and African-

American

Latino and African-

American

Results

1. What are youths’ understanding and views of human rights, especially as they relate to intimate relationships and sexual behavior?

Youth identified Respect, Honesty, Privacy, and Freedom, as rights in a relationship.

Youth were ambivalent about the usefulness of rights 

Some of them [rights] it’s a little bit too much. . . . Because that’s not how it is. In real life you going to see just all of this just happening . . . the cheating, the no trust, the following you around school, . . . the jealousy. (young man)

Challenges to Practicing Your Rights

rights are an individual endeavor

individuals need to ask for their rights in a relationship

practicing and respecting the rights of others is too high a standard to meet

rights are rules

Youth’s ideas of gender equality were based on perceived differences between the sexes.

2. What are youths’ understanding and views of gender equality?

• Based on perceived differences between the sexes, youth believed that women would have more to gain from gender equality, while men would find it threatening.

Challenges to gender equality

gender equality is in direct conflict with having power, control, and privilege in a personal relationship

gender equality means being in a boring relationship

…. I think you get the downside when they’re not treated equally. Because like in the African American culture, woman are more raised to like want to be that dominant person...either equal or dominant, never less than that. . . . Like we’re raised to take care of ourselves . . . not even want to depend on someone else. . . . We’re going to be a mother, a father, a worker. . . . We were raised to be able to do everything, like superwoman. . . . I feel like if the man has to really sit there and take care of the woman, then that’s like his child. . . You’re supposed to be a grown woman depending on yourself. (young woman)

3. What are parents’ understanding and views of human rights and gender equality?

Pros and Cons of Youth Rights from the perspective of the parents and youth.

Where parents and youth agreed 

rights are like a set of rules

I think kids need some guidelines. They can’t just be thrown out there. ... It’s like rules . . . anywhere you go, jobs, school, there’s always rules and regulations that you should, you abide by. So I think that’s a good idea. (mother)

It’s like human nature to say no to the rules. (young man)

rights have a positive influence on an individual level

Where parents and youth disagreed

Parents feel that allowing youth to exercise their rights means parental loss of control over their child’s behavior/decisions

Because we are talking as parents thinking what rights do my children have? They don’t have rights and I’m the one that rules here. . . . In order to give the teenager’s power, we’re in violation of something that could perhaps harm them. (father)

Recommendations

Recommendations

1. Dedicate sufficient time to address gender norms, roles, and expectations.

2. Include discussions relevant to young men such as pressures regarding sexual intercourse, social constructions of masculinity, and their impact on sexual decision-making.

Recommendations

3. Address the concept of rights in the context of broader past and present social movements that address equality, justice, and human rights.

4. Reinforce rights as something youth have whether or not they are in a relationship.

Recommendations

5. Discus the related concepts of equality and equity and provide examples of these in relationships.

6. Avoid portraying women as victims and men as perpetrators.

Recommendations

7. Discuss how culture and racial/ethnic identity shape young people’s perceptions of sexuality, gender equality, and rights. 

8. Create opportunities for parents and youth to talk about sexuality, rights, and gender equality.