“It’s a 50/50 Thing You Know”: Exploring the Multileveled Intersections of Gender and Power Within the Relationships of Young South African Men and Women

Efforts to advance sexual health globally require greater understandings of youth intimate relationship dynamics. Among 38 South African youth (21 women/17 men aged 21–30 from Durban and Soweto) we conducted qualitative cognitive interviews to explore how gender and power intersect to shape intimate relationship dynamics (October 2019-March 2021). Participants discussed perceptions and relevance of each of 13 items comprising the Sexual Relationship Power (SRP) scale, a widely used measure of gender equity, and the influence of SRP on youth sexual health. Data analysis was guided by constructivist grounded theory. The findings were organized using the socio-ecological model, revealing how gender and power intersected at multiple levels to influence youth intimate relationships. Key influencing factors included individual-level gender attitudes, male partner expectations, and women’s resistance to dominance; intimate relationship-level power dynamics, consent, and intimacy; family-level household configurations and parental monitoring of daughters; and societal-level traditional gender norms. At all levels, women discussed resisting power inequities through communication and rejection of inequitable relationships. While men also displayed resistance to inequitable power structures, most upheld traditional gender norms through institutional affiliation (e.g. church) and deep-rooted socialized beliefs and attitudes. Efforts to improve youth sexual health require multileveled approaches that address inequitable power dynamics.