Abstract
Purpose: Inequitable attitudes toward men's and women's roles, rights, and responsibilities are associated with poor health–related outcomes, particularly for girls and women. Yet, we know relatively little about what interventions work to improve gender-equitable attitudes among adolescents in low-income countries. This study examines the impact of a government-implemented “cash plus” intervention on gender-equitable attitudes among adolescents in Tanzania. The intervention includes discussions and activities related to gender norms, embedded in broader life skills, livelihoods, and health training. Methods: The study utilizes a cluster randomized design, using data from 1,933 males and females aged 14–19 years at baseline who took part in the baseline (2017), midline (2018), and endline (2019) surveys. Gender attitudes were measured using 24 items from the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) Scale. We estimate intent-to-treat impacts on the GEM scale and four subscales (violence, sexual relationships, reproductive health, and domestic chores). Results: The “cash plus” intervention had a significant impact on the overall GEM scale at midline. The intervention increased gender-equitable attitudes on the domestic chores subscale at both midline and endline. The intervention improved gender-equitable attitudes among males on the overall GEM scale and three subscales at midline and on two subscales at endline, but it had no impacts among females. Conclusions: Gender transformative social protection is currently being advocated as a way to address the gendered nature of poverty and its consequences. Initiatives such as the one studied here, which address the multifaceted drivers of gender inequities, could be a promising way forward.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 899-905 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Adolescent Health |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 23 Aug 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) and Tanzania Commission for AIDS, in particular Ladislaus Mwamanga (TASAF), Amadeus Kamagenge (TASAF), and Mishael Fariji (TASAF) for the implementation of this evaluation. In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund personnel instrumental to the initial planning stages of this pilot and study include Beatrice Targa, Patricia Lim Ah Ken, Victoria Chuwa, Naomi Neijhoft, and Tulanoga Matwimbi. The authors would also like to acknowledge the hard working field teams of EDI Global, who conducted the data collection for this study to the highest professional standards.
Funding Information:
Funding for this research has been provided by Oak Foundation (#OCAY-16?73) and UNICEF Tanzania, as well as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (G41102) and the UK Department for International Development (203529-102) through grants to UNICEF Office of Research?Innocenti supporting the Transfer Project. Additional funding for implementation of program activities was provided by Irish Aid. The funders had no role in analysis or interpretation of data.
Funding Information:
Funding for this research has been provided by Oak Foundation (# OCAY-16–73 ) and UNICEF Tanzania, as well as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ( G41102 ) and the UK Department for International Development ( 203529-102 ) through grants to UNICEF Office of Research—Innocenti supporting the Transfer Project. Additional funding for implementation of program activities was provided by Irish Aid . The funders had no role in analysis or interpretation of data.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
