Gender differences in union formation and sexual initiation in sub-Saharan Africa remain poorly documented, in large part due to a scarcity of research on the transition to adulthood among men. We adopt a novel perspective on this topic by examining gender gaps in the ages at first union and sex in 24 countries, focusing on measures of central tendency and dispersion. Gender differences in age at first union decreased, driven by postponement among women with relatively late union formation. Yet, due to concurrent persistence of early unions among a sizable portion of women's populations, within-country heterogeneity in ages at first union increased substantially among women. Thus, although forces responsible for earlier union formation among women than men are weakening, these changes affect population strata unequally. Gender differences in age at first sex decreased to a lesser extent, but in some countries, they disappeared or reversed, uncovering a shift in the relationship between gender and timing of sexual initiation. Changes in union formation and sexual initiation are more heterogeneous across countries among men than women, indicating that these processes among men are more context specific. We show importance of studying men's behavior and exploring heterogeneity in union formation and sexual initiation both within and between populations of women and men.

中文翻译：

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改变撒哈拉以南非洲地区首次结合形成和性起始时间的性别差距


撒哈拉以南非洲地区在婚姻形成和性起始方面的性别差异仍然鲜有记录，这在很大程度上是由于缺乏对男性向成年过渡的研究。我们对这个主题采取了新颖的视角，研究了 24 个国家首次结婚年龄和性行为方面的性别差距，重点关注集中趋势和分散的衡量标准。由于婚姻形成相对较晚的女性推迟生育，首次婚姻年龄的性别差异有所缩小。然而，由于相当一部分妇女人口中持续存在早期婚姻，国内妇女首次结婚年龄的异质性大幅增加。因此，尽管导致女性比男性更早结婚的力量正在减弱，但这些变化对人口阶层的影响却是不平等的。首次性行为年龄的性别差异缩小程度较小，但在一些国家，这种差异消失或逆转，揭示了性别与开始性行为时间之间关系的变化。各国男性在婚姻形成和性起始方面的变化比女性更具异质性，这表明男性的这些过程更具有特定的背景。我们展示了研究男性行为并探索女性和男性群体内部和之间的结合形成和性起始的异质性的重要性。