Culture’s Consequences: Examining the Relevance of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory to Youth Sexual Health

Abstract: Cultural norms that promote gender inequality have shown to encourage power imbalances in heterosexual relationships, increasing both young men and young women’s risk of STDs, HIV, unplanned pregnancy and intimate partner violence (WHO, 2004). Understanding how exactly these cultural norms impact youth’s gendered sexual roles and overall sexual health has been increasingly highlighted as an important area for the design of effective youth sexual health education and intervention programs (UNFPA, 2010). The current study adopts the cultural dimensions Masculinity/Femininity, Power Distance and Indulgence/Restraint as proposed by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory (1980, 2011) and investigates their ability to predict level of support for equitable gender norms and sexual health in youth cross-culturally. Data was collected from second and third level students between the age of 16 and 21 residing full-time in Peru, Argentina, Ireland and Sweden. Results of the studies data analysis revealed that Hofstede’s Power Distance dimension was a significant predictor of youth’s level of support for equitable gender norms and Hofstede’s dimension Indulgence/Restraint was a significant predictor of youth sexual activity. Level of support for equitable gender norms in turn predicted sexual health items such as STD contraction, unplanned pregnancy and contraceptive use. The results of this study highlight the importance of including the cultural and gender perspectives in sexual health education and healthcare intervention services.