Abstract
Despite the growing interest in issues relating to gender norms, few studies have targeted men and women in intimate relationships. Using the Gender Equitable Men Scale (GEM), this study measured attitudes toward gender norms concerning violence, sexual relationships, reproductive health and disease prevention, and domestic chores and daily life among men and women in intimate relationships in a peri-urban district in Ghana. We also evaluated the psychometric properties of the GEM Scale as applied to men and women in intimate relationships. Data were obtained from a sample of 400 respondents (200 men and 200 women) between the ages of 18 and 55 years living in the West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique focused on sub-districts and communities. Factor analyses and Cronbach alpha computations were used to test the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the GEM Scale. Descriptive and bivariate analyses using a t-test were conducted. The Factor analyses result supported the GEM Scale suitability to measure attitudes towards gender norms among men and women in intimate relationships in the Ghanaian context. The internal consistency reliability test yielded a Cronbach alpha of .840. Moderate support for equitable gender norms among the respondents was found. Women showed significantly more support for equitable gender norms than men (t = − 3.890, p < 0.001). In all four domains of the GEM Scale, women consistently showed a high level of support for gender equitable norms.
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On a reasonable request, the study questionnaire used for data collection and dataset used for analysis may be obtained from the corresponding author.
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We declare that this work has been carried out by the authors referred to in this Article and that all liabilities relating to claims relating to the content of this Article shall be borne by us. BA and RB designed this study. Data was collected by RB and analysed by BA. The manuscript was written by BA. The manuscript was accepted by all authors before it was submitted for publication.
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Addo, B., Berchie, R. Attitude towards gender norms in Ghana: understanding the dynamics among men and women in intimate relationships. J Pop Research 38, 197–220 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-021-09258-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-021-09258-0