Nartey Portia B, Ssentumbwe Vicent, Nabunya Proscovia, Kizito Samuel, Naseh Mitra, Ssewamala Fred M
International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
AIDS Behav. 2025 May 15. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04750-7.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ranks lowest on the UNDP's Gender Inequality Index (GII), with a score of 0.56 out of 1 (1 being the worst), while Uganda scores 0.53, reflecting high gender inequality between males and females. These gender disparities are deeply rooted in longstanding inequitable gender norms and worsened by poverty. This study assessed a family economic empowerment intervention's impact on gender norm beliefs among HIV-orphaned adolescents in Uganda using three time-points data from the Suubi-Maka study, a cluster-randomized trial with 346 adolescent-caregiver dyads. Participants were randomized to control (n = 167) or treatment (n = 179) groups, with data collected at baseline, 12, and 24 months. We used mixed effects linear regression to assess the effect of the economic empowerment intervention on gender norms. Results indicated significant group-by-time interaction effects but non-significant independent group or time effects. Social support was positively significantly associated with equitable gender norms, emphasizing the role of supportive networks in facilitating change in gender norm beliefs. These findings suggest that economic interventions alone may not be sufficient for altering deeply entrenched gender norms, and future efforts should include more targeted, gender-transformative approaches.
撒哈拉以南非洲地区（SSA）在联合国开发计划署的性别不平等指数（GII）中排名最低，得分为0.56（满分1分，1分表示最差），而乌干达的得分是0.53，这反映出该国男女之间存在高度的性别不平等。这些性别差异深深植根于长期存在的不公平性别规范，并因贫困而加剧。本研究利用苏比-马卡研究的三个时间点数据，评估了一项家庭经济赋权干预措施对乌干达艾滋病毒孤儿青少年性别规范观念的影响。苏比-马卡研究是一项整群随机试验，涉及346对青少年-照顾者二元组。参与者被随机分为对照组（n = 167）或治疗组（n = 179），在基线、12个月和24个月时收集数据。我们使用混合效应线性回归来评估经济赋权干预对性别规范的影响。结果表明存在显著的组×时间交互效应，但独立的组效应或时间效应不显著。社会支持与公平的性别规范呈显著正相关，强调了支持性网络在促进性别规范观念转变中的作用。这些发现表明，仅靠经济干预可能不足以改变根深蒂固的性别规范，未来的努力应包括更有针对性的、促进性别转变的方法。
