Gender difference as protective and risk factors in the <i>Competence for Living in Equality</i> (CLE) in adolescents

Competence for Living in Equality (CLE) has generally been seen as a protective adjustment factor that mitigates the impact of risk factors on living together. The aim of this research was: (1) to ascertain the level of equality competencies that are present in students of compulsory secondary education, (2) to analyze the multicausal predictive value of gender. It was hypothesized that male students would have lower levels of CLE. The sample was formed by 3665 students in compulsory secondary education (7th to 10th grades), with balanced distribution by year-in-school and sex. A validated short form of the CLE Scale was used. Using an ex post facto design, we carried out descriptive, association, and linear prediction analyses. Results support the existence of risk factors and protective factors in relation to CLE. Moreover, gender differences were observed in these factors, with significantly higher scores for sexism in the male students, and for protective factors in the female students. These results highlight the importance of an essential, coordinated effort between schools, families and society to create formal, nonformal and informal educational contexts to address living in equality.