Attitude towards gender inequitable norms and associated factors among male youths in Arba Minch town, Southern Ethiopia

Background: Gender inequitable norms are common cultural traditions across the world, which characterized women as someone who deserves less basic life support and fundamental human rights than men. The unfairness of such practices has demolished women’s quality of life. Studies are limited to measuring some factors in Ethiopia. The information obtained from this study will help to take an evidence-based approach to reduce gender inequitable norms. Objective To assess attitude towards gender inequitable norms and associated factors among male youths from August 16 th – 30 th , 2020 at Arba Minch town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 male youths. Gender-Equitable Men Scale was used to measure the attitudes towards gender inequitable norms. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique by allocating a proportion to each kebeles. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associated factors. The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of less than 0.05 in multivariable logistic regression. Results The overall prevalence of favorable attitude towards gender inequitable norms among male youths was 47.3% with 95% CI (42%, 52%). No formal education, lower household income, not participating in youth clubs, poor knowledge, and having a prior history of physical violence during childhood were factors significantly associated with a favorable attitude towards gender inequitable norms. Conclusion and recommendation Almost half of the participants had a favorable attitude towards gender inequitable norms. Proactive measures need to be taken to curb the problem by taking integrated interventions for youths like enrolling in school, enhancing participation in a youth club, prevent childhood physical violence, increasing household income, and creating awareness on gender inequitable norms to change traditional beliefs that undermine women.