Social Expectations Associated With Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Qualitative Study of Tay Adolescent Girls and Their Female Carers in Vietnam

ISSUE ADDRESSED: This study explored the experience and perceptions of Tay adolescent girls and their female carers in Northern Vietnam related to the dynamics of social expectations of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. METHODS: Critical qualitative inquiry using a 'Big Q' experiential approach focussed on subjective experiences. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 adolescent girls (16-18 years old) and 20 of their female carers from the Tay ethnic community in Vietnam. RESULTS: First, social expectations of adolescent Tay girls to uphold traditional standards of femininity and womanhood were shared intergenerationally. Second, this generation of adolescent Tay girls openly challenged social expectations related to their sexual development. Third, many adolescent Tay girls diverged from expectations in relation to their sexuality and demonstrated increased agency and a desire for social change. CONCLUSION: This study found that social expectations surrounding adolescent girls' sexuality were shared across generations, yet perceptions of female sexuality were beginning to shift. This study recommends: formative research on adolescent sexual and reproductive health must consider prevailing social norms; increased momentum and investment for national and local programs that support gender inequities; to mandate and fund local services to increase the knowledge and skills of older generations of women to support adolescent sexual and reproductive health. SO WHAT?: Applying contextually specific data on the different profiles of social norms in a community will improve the impact of health promotion for adolescent sexual and reproductive health.