Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant issue for youth in Guyana, particularly among young women. Yet, discussions about sex, dating, and violence rarely occur at the community level. To understand the heightened risk for GBV with youth in Guyana, we utilized a critical qualitative design to explore adolescent dating violence with adolescents (14–16 years old), parents, and school officials in a public secondary school in Guyana. In total, 36 racially and religiously diverse participants from low to middle-income households participated in focus groups (n = 30) and interviews (n = 6). Discussions centered on dating in adolescence; community awareness of dating violence; gender, racialization, and class in relation to dating violence; and dating violence prevention in schools and family settings. Our results revealed that heteronormative, adversarial gender roles in Guyana are enacted in adolescent relationships in ways that contribute to violence. Two important factors emerged in relation to femininity: female respectability related to sexuality; and the relationship between clothing, sexuality, and social class. Masculinity for adolescent boys was centered on reproducing normative assumptions about femininity and explaining the use of violence through pathologizing race. Participants were also asked to identify gender roles that adolescent boys and girls should embody in relationships, which revealed possibilities for overcoming adversarial roles in relationships. We propose that adolescent GBV prevention initiatives consider long-standing and deeply embedded ideas within gender norms that are connected to sexuality, class, and race. Without accounting for these systemic factors, GBV prevention initiatives and programs may inadvertently perpetuate traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity that contribute to violence.

基于性别的暴力 (GBV) 是圭亚那青年面临的一个重大问题，尤其是年轻女性。然而，关于性、约会和暴力的讨论很少发生在社区层面。为了解圭亚那青少年 GBV 的风险增加，我们利用关键的定性设计来探索圭亚那一所公立中学与青少年（14-16 岁）、父母和学校官员的青少年约会暴力。总共有 36 名来自低收入和中等收入家庭的不同种族和宗教的参与者参加了焦点小组 ( n = 30) 和访谈 ( n= 6). 讨论集中在青春期约会；社会对约会暴力的认识；与约会暴力相关的性别、种族化和阶级；在学校和家庭环境中预防约会暴力。我们的结果表明，圭亚那的异性恋、敌对性别角色以助长暴力的方式在青少年关系中发挥作用。出现了两个与女性气质有关的重要因素：与性相关的女性体面；以及服装、性和社会阶层之间的关系。青春期男孩的男性气质集中在再现关于女性气质的规范假设，并通过病态化种族来解释暴力的使用。还要求参与者确定青春期男孩和女孩在关系中应体现的性别角色，这揭示了克服人际关系中敌对角色的可能性。我们建议，青少年 GBV 预防举措应考虑性别规范中长期存在且根深蒂固的观念，这些观念与性、阶级和种族相关。如果不考虑这些系统性因素，GBV 预防举措和计划可能会无意中延续导致暴力的男性气质和女性气质的传统定义。