Argentina is often cited as a regional leader in gender and sexual diversity policies, with landmark legislation such as the 2006 Comprehensive Sexual Education (ESI) Law, the 2010 Equal Marriage Law and the 2012 Gender Identity Law (Tabbush et al., 2016). These advances have brought discussions of gender and sexuality into the public sphere and classrooms alike, potentially increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ youth. Yet, visibility alone does not guarantee equity. This study aimed to examine if these changes in public policy have impacted how teenagers in Buenos Aires perceive gender and sexuality, and how these perceptions relate to their subjective well-being.
Drawing on Diener’s model (1985), subjective well-being was defined as a person’s own assessment of their own life. It encompasses both cognitive and affective dimensions, including happiness, life satisfaction and positive or negative affect. To measure perception on gender and sexuality, our study focused on gender essentialism. Defined as the belief that gender traits are innate and immutable, gender essentialism has been linked to discriminatory attitudes. Understanding how these beliefs operate among youth is therefore crucial, as they can directly impact adolescents’ sense of belonging and well-being.
A self-report anonymous survey was conducted with 1,037 secondary students (ages 16–18) from public and private schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. About 25% of respondents were classified as LGBTQ+. Results show that LGBTQ+ adolescents report significantly lower well-being than their non-LGBTQ+ peers, particularly when it comes to perceived social support and optimism about the future. They also exhibit lower levels of gender essentialism, suggesting a more flexible understanding of gender and sexuality.
These findings reveal a paradox in contemporary Argentine education policy: while legal recognition and public debate have expanded visibility, they have not yet produced equitable school environments. By analyzing essentialism and its link to well-being within this policy context, the study highlights the need to move beyond legislative inclusion toward cultural transformation. ESI implementation, teacher training, and intersectional anti-discrimination approaches could prove essential for translating rights into meaningful equality.
