Masculinity scripts and abstinence-related beliefs of rural Nigerian male youth

This study interrogates the direct perspectives of rural Nigerian male youth regarding the preventive practice of "abstinence until marriage." The study shows that norms of masculinity suffuse Nigerian male youth narratives surrounding the benefits and hazards of abstinence. Key gender norms that frame male youth views of the consequences of abstention included those that cast men as strong-willed and resolute, represent sexual activity as a central marker of malehood, depict male sexuality as naturally dominant and aggressive, emphasize male sexual potency, associate maleness with power and leadership, and portray sexual activity as normal, proper, and permissible for males. Inattention to the norms and scripts that organize sexual behavior, especially among male youth, portends danger for abstinence-until-marriage programs.