Marriage and sexual and reproductive health of Rohingya adolescents and youth in Bangladesh: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that among the Rohingya refugee community, social norms around marriage and reproduction are deeply rooted in religious beliefs, gender roles, and protection concerns. Child marriage is widely accepted and tied to norms linking female maturity with readiness for marriage, religious duty, and family honor. Large families are socially […]
Measuring social norms of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy: an item response modelling of the IPV-ASRA scale
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study confirms that social norms justifying intimate partner violence to control women’s agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy are measurable, culturally salient, and linked to male perpetration of violence in Niger. Importantly, the norms that sanction violence when women challenge male authority—such as going out without permission or arguing—are more strongly […]
Low contraceptive utilization among young married women is associated with perceived social norms and belief in contraceptive myths in rural Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly influence contraceptive use among young married women in rural Ethiopia. Perceived social approval from husbands, parents, friends, and mothers-in-law, along with perceptions of peers’ contraceptive practices, significantly affect utilization. Conversely, belief in contraceptive myths—such as fears about infertility or health risks—negatively impacts use. The study highlights how social […]
Making Sense of Marriage: Gender and the Transition to Adulthood in Nairobi, Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: While the article does not explicitly address or measure social norms, it offers valuable insights into shared beliefs and expectations about marriage and adulthood among youth in Nairobi. The study highlights how marriage is broadly understood as a marker of adulthood, but with differing meanings and desirability across genders. Young men […]
Male and female conceptualizations of sexual harassment in Tanzania: The role of consent, male power
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how social norms in Tanzania shape understandings of sexual harassment, particularly through entrenched gender roles and power dynamics. Norms around male entitlement to women’s bodies, hierarchical power in schools and workplaces, and expectations that women must publicly reject advances for them to be labeled as harassment all contribute […]
Learners’ perspectives on the provision of condoms in South African public schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Although South African learners have a legal right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, social norms—such as stigma, adult judgment, and peer pressure—undermine their ability to access them. Gendered expectations particularly disadvantage girls, who are judged more harshly for seeking condoms or related services. Changing these norms requires respectful, youth-centered […]
Is transactional sex exploitative? A social norms perspective, with implications for interventions with adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Transactional sex is shaped by deeply rooted social and gender norms in Tanzanian communities. Core norms include male provision in relationships, reciprocal expectations of sex from girls, and peer-driven pressure to achieve a “modern lifestyle” through material possessions. Relationships are often not viewed as exploitative unless there is coercion, power imbalance, […]
Intersecting inequalities, gender and adolescent health in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that gender norms significantly influence adolescents’ health in Ethiopia, but these norms do not operate in isolation. Instead, they intersect with factors like age, disability, poverty, and rural location to compound disadvantage. For example, stigma around menstruation and contraception, particularly for girls and adolescents with disabilities, limits access […]
Innovative methods to analyse the impact of gender norms on adolescent health using global health survey data.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study emphasizes that addressing adolescent health requires tackling not only individual attitudes but also the broader social norms reinforced by families, peers, schools, and communities. Proxy measures for gender norms—based on patterns of attitudes, behaviors, and their mismatches—offer a powerful tool to identify where social expectations create risks or opportunities […]
Inequitable Gender Norms From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood in Uganda: Tool Validation and Differences Across Age Groups.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that inequitable gender norms are deeply internalized from early adolescence and are prevalent among youth in Uganda. Younger adolescents aged 10 to 14 showed significantly more support for inequitable norms than their older peers, indicating that gender socialization occurs early and rigidly. These norms, encompassing beliefs about male […]