Association between gender norms and attitudes towards abortion among very young adolescents in Kenya and Nigeria: a quantitative study.

Introduction: Unsafe abortion is a major cause of death in sub-Saharan African countries. Adolescents are at increased risk due to their high vulnerability to unprotected sex and unplanned pregnancies. Abortion beliefs and attitudes are considered to be partly rooted in traditional views on gender and religious influences. This study is informed by the limited data on gender norm perception and its association with abortion attitudes among adolescents, despite the increasing prevalence of unsafe abortion reported among this group. Materials: Data for this study were collected as part of a longitudinal survey on gendered socialisation and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of in-school adolescents aged 10 - 14 (very young adolescents (VYA)) years in Kenya and Nigeria. The study obtained quantitative data from 1912 VYAs using a structured questionnaire. The results presented in this paper are from the quantitative baseline data collected in Kenya and Nigeria. Result: The study found significant regional differentials in attitudes towards abortion and gender norm perception of the VYA from the two countries. In Nigeria, VYA were more likely to endorse abortion practices relative to their counterparts from Kenya. Factors associated with endorsement of abortion practice were gender norms about sexual double standards and normative heterosexual relations (NHR) in Nigeria and knowledge of where to get a condom, NHR and normative romantic relationship in Kenya. Conclusion: Gender norms are learnt early. Intervention efforts seeking to promote positive gender norms and attitudes towards SRH must begin with the VYA, consider contextual variations and address knowledge and access to SRH commodities and services.