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Sexual education in the educational system is a right of adolescents. In Latin America, despite the progress in the implementation of sexual education to prevent adolescent pregnancy, deficiencies are also evident. With the aim of exploring the sexual education experiences of adolescent fathers and mothers in schools, a qualitative study was developed in Cuenca. 19 semi-structured interviews were carried out (10 mothers; 9 adolescent fathers), and a thematic analysis of the information was used. It was found that, despite the established guidelines, sexual education is scarce and biased; Its implementation is unsystematic, with a bio-medical and moralistic approach and; it does not consider sexual development needs of adolescents. This reveals worrying gaps in the educational system that may contribute to the development of life skills., A educação sexual no sistema educacional é um direito dos adolescentes. Na América Latina, o progresso é evidente, mas também são evidentes as deficiências na implementação da educação sexual para prevenir a gravidez na adolescência. Com o objetivo de explorar as experiências de educação sexual de pais e mães adolescentes nas escolas, foi realizado um estudo qualitativo em Cuenca. Foram realizadas 19 entrevistas semiestruturadas (10 mães; 9 pais adolescentes), foi realizada uma análise temática das informações. Constatou-se que, apesar das diretrizes estabelecidas, a educação sexual é escassa e tendenciosa; A sua implementação é assistemática, com uma abordagem biomédica e moralista e; não considera as necessidades de desenvolvimento sexual dos adolescentes. Isto revela lacunas preocupantes no sistema educativo que contribuem para o desenvolvimento de competências necessárias à vida., La educación sexual en el sistema educativo es un derecho de los adolescentes. En Latinoamérica se evidencian avances, pero también se vislumbran deficiencias en la implementación de la educación sexual para prevención del embarazo adolescente. Con el objetivo de explorar las experiencias de educación sexual de padres y madres adolescentes en colegios, se realizó un estudio cualitativo en Cuenca. Se realizaron 19 entrevistas semiestructuradas (diez madres, nueve padres adolescentes) y un análisis temático de la información. Se encontró que, a pesar de los lineamientos establecidos, la educación sexual es escasa y sesgada. Su implementación es asistemática, con enfoque biomédico y moralista, y no considera necesidades del desarrollo sexual de adolescentes. Esto vislumbra preocupantes vacíos en el sistema educativo que aporten al desarrollo de habilidades necesarias para su vida.

Sexual education in the educational system is a right of adolescents. In Latin America, despite the progress in the implementation of sexual education to prevent adolescent pregnancy, deficiencies are also evident. With the aim of exploring the sexual education experiences of adolescent fathers and mothers in schools, a qualitative study was developed in Cuenca. 19 semi-structured interviews were carried out (10 mothers; 9 adolescent fathers), and a thematic analysis of the information was used. It was found that, despite the established guidelines, sexual education is scarce and biased; Its implementation is unsystematic, with a biomedical and moralistic approach and; it does not consider sexual development needs of adolescents. This reveals worrying gaps in the educational system that may contribute to the development of life skills.

Teenage pregnancy is a phenomenon that causes concern due to its consequences. In this context, sex education has been considered as a good means of prevention. However, while teenage pregnancy prevails, sex education perspectives from the voices of teenage fathers and mothers remain under-explored. This qualitative study aimed at exploring sex education needs from the perspectives of teenage fathers and mothers at Cuenca, Ecuador. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 young people aged 16 to 19 years, ten of whom were mothers. Following thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (1) pregnancy does not necessarily occur by accident; (2) inconsistencies exist in the use of contraceptive methods; (3) current forms of sex education ignore the needs of adolescents. Findings are discussed in light of research addressing teenage pregnancy, focusing on adolescents as well as their developmental characteristics. The study identifies limitations in sex education when it comes to meeting the real needs of adolescent mothers and fathers.

Teaching has acquired various social representations, which are ideas that students have when they enter college to become educators. This topic has not been addressed in the Ecuadorian context: a reality with new education policies and curriculum changes. This research aimed to understand social representations about teaching students have, on their first-year of education. Focus groups were carried out with 13 first-year college students. A thematic analysis was performed. Teaching is associated with providing counseling for students, where the human factor prevails. Creativity, innovation and technology are elements associated with teaching. Despite acknowledging the impor-tance of teaching, the students consider that society underestimates it.

While several studies suggest that traditional gender ideologies are strongly embedded in Latino populations, little is known about the way they operate in adolescent’s romantic relationships. This mixed-methods study was carried out with adolescents in Cuenca, Ecuador. In the quantitative component, we assessed adolescents’ support for traditional gender ideologies in a sample of 562 adolescents (n = 309 girls). It was identified that the majority of adolescents were “uncritical” towards traditional ideologies involving masculinity (82%) and femininity (79%). In the qualitative component, the narratives of a sample of 20 adolescents reflected existing discourses on traditional gender roles and revealed how these ideologies are translated into specific behaviors. In this context, romantic relationships can become negative and dysfunctional spaces that affect adolescents’ development.

While several studies suggest that traditional gender ideologies are strongly embedded in Latino populations, little is known about the way they operate in adolescent’s romantic relationships. This mixedmethods study was carried out with adolescents in Cuenca, Ecuador. In the quantitative component, we assessed adolescents’ support for traditional gender ideologies in a sample of 562 adolescents (n = 309 girls). It was identified that the majority of adolescents were “uncritical” towards traditional ideologies involving masculinity (82%) and femininity (79%). In the qualitative component, the narratives of a sample of 20 adolescents reflected existing discourses on traditional gender roles and revealed how these ideologies are translated into specific behaviors. In this context, romantic relationships can become negative and dysfunctional spaces that affect adolescents’ development., Embora vários estudos tenham sugerido que as ideologias tradicionais de gênero são fortemente endossadas nas populações latinas, ainda pouco se sabe sobre a forma como operam nas relações românticas dos adolescentes. Este estudo de métodos mistos foi realizado com adolescentes de Cuenca, no Equador. No componente quantitativo, avaliamos o endosso de ideologias tradicionais de gênero em uma amostra de 562 adolescentes (n = 309 meninas). Verificou-se que a maioria dos adolescentes pode ser classificada como “acrítica” em relação às ideologias tradicionais de masculinidade (82 %) e feminilidade (79 %). No componente qualitativo, as narrativas de uma amostra de 20 adolescentes refletiram os discursos existentes sobre os papéis tradicionais de gênero e revelaram como estes se traduzem em comportamentos específicos. Nesse contexto, os relacionamentos amorosos podem se tornar espaços negativos e disfuncionais que podem afetar o desenvolvimento dos adolescentes., Si bien varios estudios han sugerido que las ideologías de género tradicionales están fuertemente arraigadas en las poblaciones latinas, aún se sabe poco sobre la forma en que estas operan en las relaciones románticas de los adolescentes. Este estudio de método mixto se realizó con adolescentes de Cuenca en Ecuador. En el componente cuantitativo, evaluamos el apoyo a las ideologías tradicionales de género en una muestra de 562 adolescentes (n = 309 niñas). Se encontró que la mayoría de los adolescentes podrían ser clasificados como «acríticos» hacia las ideologías tradicionales de masculinidad (82%) y feminidad (79%). En el componente cualitativo, las narrativas de una muestra de 20 adolescentes reflejaron los discursos existentes sobre los roles tradicionales de género y revelaron cómo estos se traducen en comportamientos específicos. En este contexto, las relaciones románticas pueden convertirse en espacios negativos y disfuncionales que pueden afectar el desarrollo de los adolescentes.

Despite recognition that sexual well-being is an important part of adolescent sexual and reproductive health, a clear description of adolescent sexual well-being does not yet exist. Through six in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with 56 young people in two distinct contexts (Belgium and Ecuador), we used the social-ecological framework to identify factors influencing adolescent sexual well-being. According to respondents, the main factors that influence adolescent sexual well-being are not only situated at the individual (having knowledge and skills and being physically, sexually and mental mature and healthy) and interpersonal levels (positive attraction towards others and communication about sexuality), but at a broader societal level, including social acceptance of sex, gender and sexual diversity and its (legal) translation into comprehensive sexuality education and the ready availability of contraceptives. Our results go well beyond two existing definitions of (adolescent) sexual well-being to contribute to understanding and measurement from the perspective of young people themselves, adding substantively to ongoing discussion about the definition of the concept.

In an attempt to extend our understanding of how social contexts co-create female sexuality in Latin America, the aim of the current study was to explore the beliefs, views, and ideas about sexual assertiveness in Latino emerging adult women. Seventeen women between 22 and 30 years old living in Cuenca, Ecuador, participated in focus groups. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest that the overall views about sexual assertiveness in emerging adult women can be grouped into five categories: (1) gender role schemata; (2) concerns about the partner’s thoughts and reactions; (3) gendered attitudes towards the use of specific methods of contraception; (4) talking about sexual histories as a challenging task; and (5) replication of family patterns. The findings of this study are discussed within existing literature that highlights the influence of gender role schemata on sexual assertiveness. Finally, a plea for more culturally sensitive research is formulated as well as some educational–the need to reinforce sex education programs–and clinical–highlighting the ability to be sexually assertive from the start of a relationship–implications are mentioned. © 2019, © 2019 The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

According to the contribution of multiple authors of gender studies within the academic field, it is widely documented that schools, being spaces for socialization, are place where, in addition to building knowledge, information is acquired and gender practices are carried out. For this reason, the objective of this study is to determine, by Secondary Data Analysis, the relationship between elementary schools and the construction of gender roles in boys and girls who attend there. To achieve our purpose, we collected information on gender, gender identity, stereotypes and gender roles, as well as information about the schools and how gender roles are built in those environments. Therefore, these are the categories described in this study. From the analysis it can be affirmed that gender is a social construction, since society is the one who determines every characteristic of each gender. In addition, although home is the first space for socialization, school is the place where everything about gender is learned, reinforced and shaped. Thus, in school, through the practices of teachers, traditional gender roles for boys and girls continue to be recreated. Finally, this literature review provides updated and relevant information to students and teachers about the social construction of gender roles in schools.

The importance of sexual assertiveness for human sexuality has motivated scientific research on the subject. Based on the usefulness of investigating sexual assertiveness according to the cultural context, the objective of this study was to explore the views of sexual assertiveness of men and women of three age groups in the city of Cuenca. A qualitative study through the use of focus groups was carried out, which as a result of a thematic analysis found that the standards of normality prescribed by the sociocultural context are related to all the characteristics of the exercise of sexual assertiveness that were selected in the literature, such as the initiative to have sexual relations, the rejection of unwanted sexual activity, the negotiation of contraceptive methods, the investigation of the sexual life history of the couple and the communication of tastes and preferences for sexual encounters. In addition, suggestions to study this construct in more detail were identified and pointed out in the present study..

In recent times, changes have occurred in all spheres of life as a result of the advances and the development of society. It is stated that we live in “Liquid Modernity”, where social models and structures no longer last and a new configuration of human relationships has been determined. The changes that have occurred in this globalized world have had an impact on the sphere of love, making it ephemeral and fragile, where romantic relationships are subject to the logic of consumption and low commitment. However, since these statements are based on European studies, the reality in other contexts, such as Latin America, remains unknown. Therefore the objective of this research was to understand how young adults from the city of Cuenca perceive love and how they live romantic relationships. In-depth interviews were carried out with 12 young adults from the city of Cuenca, males and females, between the ages of 19 and 30. The data was processed through thematic analysis. According to the results, love is perceived as the understanding, patience and support that a woman provides for her partner. The answer to an unplanned pregnancy was always marriage, which evidenced that cohabitation was not considered as an option for the participants. Lastly, the female partner is the only one in charge of home duties such as taking care of children, which meant that she had to find the best way to balance housework and career. The results gathered from this research suggest the need to further analyze this topic by carrying out quantitative studies, and also the need to develop education programs that focus on affection.

Despite advances in the understanding of matter in Safety and education of it, the lack of studies in the city of Cuenca - specifically on Public Safety and on the role played by the University - has led to conduct this work of gathering information for an analysis and interpretation that aims at becoming a first step to reveal the reality in the field of security in Cuenca. Based on analysis of the statistical data of the city and the province on the issue of security, and on a study of the physical space of the campuses , the main objective of this study was to know the role of the State in terms of public safety and the fields of action for its transformation , as well as to highlight the role to be played by the University of Cuenca to establish an academic , operational and technology proposal about the needs of the University of Cuenca towards improving the safety that allows bringing comfort to the university community . The University of Cuenca, with this information and under the observation of the current situation of the city and its surroundings in insecurity issues, should strengthen its institutional safety and give a direct support it based in social research on safety.