“Social institutions as mediating sites for changing gender norms: Nurturing girls’s resilience to child marriage in Uganda:
Outcomes: Child, Early, and Forced Marriage, Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways Gender norms in the study communities positioned girls primarily as future wives and mothers, reinforcing early marriage. However, these same norms can be transformed. The study highlights the importance of working with female relatives, senior women teachers, and school-based programming to shift gender expectations, nurture girls’ aspirations, and reduce the social acceptability of early marriage.
Objectives This study explored how two key social institutions—families and schools—function as mediating environments that either reinforce or resist gender-discriminatory social norms that contribute to child marriage in Uganda. The research aimed to understand how these institutions shape girls’ resilience and empower them to delay marriage, despite entrenched cultural expectations.
Methods The study used a qualitative, cross-sectional design conducted from 2012 to 2014 in Mayuge District, Uganda. Data collection methods included community mappings (6), focus group discussions (19), in-depth interviews (57), 11 case studies, and 85 key informant interviews. Participants included adolescents, parents, community leaders, and NGO/government representatives. Thematic content analysis was used to identify common themes and triangulate across sources.
Results Child marriage was found to be widespread, often taking ‘informal’ forms like cohabitation. These arrangements were driven by social norms emphasizing bride wealth, preserving virginity, and equating sexual maturity with readiness for marriage. Families played dual roles: some perpetuated these norms while others—particularly mothers, aunts, and fathers—offered protective support that helped girls stay in school. Schools also played a pivotal role in girls’ empowerment, providing safe spaces, role models, life skills, and SRH information through clubs and programs like Straight Talk Foundation. Yet, challenges remained—especially gender-based harassment, stigma, and limited SRH education in primary schools.
Conclusions Girls’ resilience to child marriage is deeply shaped by the form and quality of support from their home and school environments. The study shows that when these institutions offer encouragement, protection, and relevant information, girls are more likely to resist harmful norms and pursue alternative futures.
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