E-mail: elisabeth. Adolescence is a period of transition during which a person is neither considered a child nor an adult. As little is known about adolescent boys' perceptions, norms, role models and gender relations that influence their male identity and behaviour, this qualitative study was conducted. Findings show that growing up to a man entails a certain level of ambiguity and contradictory perceptions in terms of supposedly appropriate social and sexual behaviour but indicates a few alternatives.
Based on the findings, we recommend that the information gap, misconceptions and anxiety among boys regarding their male identity should be addressed. The respondents suggested that an educational programme that will pay due attention to their needs and answer their questions should be designed and implemented with active involvement of male adolescent peers. Adolescents a in general, and boys in particular, have been a neglected category in the context of sexual and reproductive health and rights, specifically regarding their psychosexual development.
Boys, more than girls, are often under pressure to initiate and become sexually active even while they often still lack adequate knowledge of sexual matters. This is due to the increasing recognition that adolescents have concerning their own specific health related needs.
Such is the case in Zambia. There has been a growing interest in trying to understand what kind of perceptions adolescent boys have about their development into manhood, and what role models, knowledge, attitudes, expectations, joys and worries are involved in constructing their male identity.
Research on adolescents has mainly been conducted as if adolescents constitute one homogenous group, without taking into account gender 8b differences. They are taught to act in accordance with expectations, beliefs and values assigned to their gender in a specific society with its specific culture. Few studies have explored adolescent boys' awareness of and their role in unwanted pregnancies.
