About this poster

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Panel information
Panel 2. Cultural Processes

Abstract

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Mexico is the second most populated country in Latin America, with roughly 19% of the population living in rural communities (World Population Bank, 2020). However, there is a lack of research on these communities, with even less known regarding their views on gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and rape. Despite years of activism against gender-based abuse, violence against women in Mexico remains a significant threat to women’s health and well-being (Bellman, 2005; Nuñez, et al., 2016). Cultural values such as machismo encourage male misbehavior and normalize violence (Orlandini, 2000), while social status is negatively associated with violence against women (Liu & Fullerton, 2015). Thus, this study aimed to better understand rural low-income adolescents’ views on sexual harassment and rape. To obtain rich accounts of adolescents’ perceptions in their own words, we conducted 16 (11 boys; 5 girls) semi-structured interviews with Mexican adolescents from Jaltepec, State of Mexico, Mexico (Mage = 14.7) pertaining to their views on a) risk of sexual harassment and rape, b) causes of sexual harassment and rape, and b) discussions about sexual harassment and rape with their mothers and fathers. Utilizing Rapid and Rigorous Qualitative Data Analysis (RADaR; Watkins, 2017) we identified preliminary themes regarding adolescents’ perceptions of sexual harassment and rape in their community. Preliminary results reveal that the majority of the sample (63%) believed there was a risk for sexual harassment and rape for adolescents in their communities, while two adolescents described personally witnessing gender-based violence. Although one adolescent boy endorsed a rape myth—girls who dress ‘provocatively’ are ‘asking’ to be harassed—almost half of the participants identified unequal gender dynamics within their community. More specifically, adolescents linked machismo and sexism to gender-based violence. Adolescents also described gender differences, suggesting that men are more likely to experience serious physical violence, while women are more likely to experience verbal violence, rape, and “suffer from machismo.” Despite most adolescents recognizing that youth in their communities are at risk for experiencing gender-based violence, only 2 adolescents disclosed that their parents talked to them about sexual harassment or rape. Indeed, some adolescents described feeling pena, or shame, talking about sexual violence. Notably, most adolescents shared that their parents, mostly mothers, did talk to them about neighborhood violence more generally. Overall, results suggest that adolescents understand that harmful gender norms perpetuate violence in their community and recognize the risk youth face for experiencing gender-based violence yet engage in little communication regarding these sensitive topics with their parents. Findings from this study highlight a promising avenue for violence intervention with parent-adolescent dyads: parent-adolescent communication about violence. Moreover, future research should explore how parents can continue to engage in open communication regarding neighborhood violence and incorporate discussions about gender-based violence specifically (Maas et al., 2023). Open communication between parents and their adolescents can foster discussions about the role that negative gender norms play in perpetuating machismo and violence and increase a sense of support for adolescents facing this neighborhood risk.

Author information

Author	Role
Courtney Medina, University of Pittsburgh	Presenting author
Jordan Hudson, University of Pittsburgh , United States	Non-presenting author
Grace Geoffroy , University of Pittsburgh, United States	Non-presenting author
Ashley Harvey, University of Michigan, United States	Non-presenting author
Andrea Mora, University of Pittsburgh, United States	Non-presenting author

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