Perfiles de actitudes hacia la equidad de género entre adolescentes latinoamericanos

Attitudes toward gender equality are critical to citizenship outcomes because they can promote more egalitarian living conditions. Evidence suggests that attitudes that oppose equal rights between men and women are negatively related to gender equality. Moreover, these attitudes may reproduce stereotypes among youth that limit young women’s opportunities and lead to risky behaviours, especially among young men. However, knowledge about adherence to gender attitudes among adolescents is still scarce in Latin America. This study attempts to identify profiles of compliance with attitudes gender equity attitudes in five Latin American countries: Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Peru. A Simultaneous Latent Class Analysis across Groups analysis was conducted using the Students’ endorsement of gender equality scale from IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), an analytical approach that allows comparing different contexts using a structurally equivalent (homogeneous) model. We identified four different profiles based on the items included in the analysis, with varying prevalence levels in every country analysed. These profiles are fully egalitarians, normative sexists, hesitant egalitarians, and political sexists. This paper’s relevance lies on the idea that active citizens need understanding concepts, principles, and skills to be responsible and thoughtful but also committed to democratic values. In this scenario, it is essential to understand the current state of adherence to gender equity to construct fairer and more inclusive societies.