But a new study suggests that, no matter where children live, real talk about relationships, identity and sexuality should start even earlier to minimize the negative impacts of gender roles. In recent years, a growing body of research has focused on health inequities that result from enforced gender norms in children. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health, contributes a global perspective to this issue. For girls, those risks can include child marriage, pregnancy, leaving school early, sexually transmitted infections and exposure to violence. "A potential explanation for this may be that girls who 'act like boys' display masculine characteristics associated with power and dominance," researchers surmised.

Source: CNN September 20, 2017 17:15 UTC