“My motivation is the sentence - it is forbidden to surrender”: A qualitative study of gender norm change and adolescent empowerment in Colombia

Abstract

Recent scholarship has focused on how to shift harmful social norms to catalyze improvements in the well-being of women and girls globally. Since adolescent is a formative period for internalizing gender norms, many programs have targeted youth during this period. This research presents a secondary analysis of a set of qualitative interviews with adolescent girls and boys in Colombia on the barriers and enablers of gender norm change. Specific aims were to identify the primary factors influencing the transmission, enforcement, and contestation of gender norms and provide recommendations for future interventions. Key findings included the primacy of parents in gender norm transmission and enforcement and the need to include broader community stakeholders in gender equality programming. A further recommendation is the need for increased awareness-raising and enforcement of recently introduced gender discrimination and violence protection laws. Lacking trust in the police and legal system is limiting the ability of women and girls to benefit from new programs and should be the focus of further research.