Gender Difference in Risky Sexual Behavior and Its Determinants Among Ethiopian Youth: Evidence from the 2016 Edhs

Risky sexual behavior is defined as multiple sexual partners in a lifetime plus sex without a condom. Gender and risky sexual behavior have an intriguing relationship. This study conducted aims to identify the gender difference and determinants of risky sexual behavior among youth. With a sample of 7490, males and females aged 15-29 drawn from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). The study was conducted based on socio-demography characteristics, youth individual characteristics, and Knowledge of HIV/AIDS data obtained from the Ethiopian demographic health survey (EDHS) 2016 by extracting male and female data. Univariate was used to display the data using tables compared between males and females. The binary logistic regression model was developed to identify the predictors of risky sexual behavior. Study shows 964 (37%) of males and 739 (15%) of females were engaged in risky sexual behavior. About 22.7% (1703) of the youth were risky at the national level. Bivariate analysis shows that males are 3.38 times more likely to engage in risky sexual practices compared to females (p<=0.001) respectively. In comparison to rural, the likelihood of risky sexual practices among males and females were significantly increase by 48.1% and 41.5% living in urban areas correspondingly (p < 0.01). Females aged 20-24 and 25-29 are more likely to be risky compared to those aged 15-19 (p<0.001). Significant gender differences in risky sexual behavior were observed with a higher risk in male respondents compared to females. The explanatory variables marital status, residence, region, and alcohol intake were a significant variation of males and females' risky sexual behaviors. Specific Strategies and approaches should develop to reduce risky sexual practices and improve reproductive health outcomes.