Bibliographic review on the themes in the study of masculinities and sexual health in adolescents

Abstract

This article is a critical review of the scientific literature that seeks to investigate the male presence within the relational processes of sexual and reproductive health within the framework of a doctoral research. In the first instance, the keywords were defined using the UNESCO thesaurus and then searching for those terms in different search engines for academic texts and digital repositories. Then, we select up-to-date publications produced in the last twenty years. Once this demarcation was made, we realized the various axes analyzed in previous research, namely: dynamics of sexual initiation, knowledge of adolescents about sexual and reproductive health, the relationship between men and sexual health services, studies on gender and sexuality relationships among peers and the experience of parenthood. We were able to conclude that getting started sexually is a way of proving manhood and punishing virginity, being an important instrument for configuring being a man. This also affects an earlier and earlier sexual onset. Regarding knowledge about sexuality, the aforementioned research proposes to promote assertive attitudes that allow favoring the negotiation and use of condoms, paying attention to the cultural changes of the new models of masculinities. In the order of the relationship of men with their peers, we observe that masculinity tends to be sustained through ridicule for sexual orientation and identity. Referring to the experience of fatherhood, we highlight the absence of this issue in sexual health services. Finally, the relationship of men with sexual health services shows that the sector includes men very secondarily.