Impacts of Multisectoral Cash Plus Programs on Marriage and Fertility After 4 Years in Pastoralist Kenya: A Randomized Trial
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores that addressing individual behaviors is not enough; shifting community norms around gender, sexuality, and the value of girls is essential. Interventions that combine community-level gender norm change with direct support for girls can reshape the social expectations that place them at risk. Successful programs must work across multiple […]
Impacts of a Cash Plus Intervention on Gender Attitudes Among Tanzanian Adolescents
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that gender-transformative social protection programs can positively influence adolescents’ gender attitudes, but such impacts are not uniformly experienced across genders. While the intervention fostered more equitable gender norms among adolescent boys—particularly regarding domestic chores, violence, and sexual relationships—girls showed no measurable improvement. This suggests that girls may face […]
If she gets married when she is young, she will give birth to many kids’: a qualitative study of child marriage practices amongst nomadic pastoralist communities in Kenya.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Norms around early marriage, female purity, and high fertility drive child marriage. These expectations are upheld by stigma and reinforced through broader social systems. Interventions must engage communities, including leaders, and address linked norms and economic pressures. Objectives: This study explored how social norms and contextual factors sustain child marriage among […]
Harmful practices prevail despite legal knowledge: a mixed-method study on the paradox of child marriage in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the paradox of child marriage persisting despite near-universal disapproval and awareness of the law. Social norms that favor early marriage for girls—fueled by dowry, fear of harassment, and expectations around femininity and family honor—remain powerful. Norms around male control and economic incentives also drive early marriage for boys. […]
Gendered Experiences of Parent–Child Communication on Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues: A Qualitative Study Employing Community-Based Participatory Methods among Primary Caregivers and Community Stakeholders in Rural South-Western Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study illustrates how deeply rooted gender norms in rural south-western Uganda shape parent–child communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Gendered expectations restrict mothers and fathers to only discussing topics with same-gender children and reinforce unequal socialization, where girls are expected to be submissive and boys are given more freedom. […]
Gender-norms, violence and adolescence: Exploring how gender norms are associated with experiences of childhood violence among young adolescents in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study finds that community-level gender norms, measured through aggregated individual attitudes, are significantly associated with adolescents’ experiences of violence within the home in Ethiopia. A 12-point scale captured inequitable gender norms (IGNs), reflecting both descriptive and injunctive norms. These community norms were more predictive of violence than individual or household […]
Girl child marriage and the social context of displacement: a qualitative comparative exploration of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study reveals how deeply embedded gender norms—specifically those governing girl child marriage—are reinforced and sometimes intensified in contexts of displacement. Both descriptive norms (what people do) and injunctive norms (what people expect) drive early marriage practices in Syrian and Rohingya refugee communities. These norms are transmitted intergenerationally and maintained through […]
Forced Sex and Early Marriage: Understanding the Linkages and Norms in a Humanitarian Setting.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights powerful injunctive norms in humanitarian settings that contribute to harmful practices linking rape and early marriage. In South Kivu, DRC, both adolescent girls and caregivers commonly view marriage as the appropriate response to rape—particularly when the perpetrator is known. These norms reflect and reinforce the belief that a […]
Gender norms and health: insights from global survey data
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms—context-specific beliefs about appropriate behavior for different genders—shape health outcomes across the life course. This study highlights that non-conformity to gender norms often results in health harms, especially for girls and women. These norms intersect with religion, wealth, and geography, creating complex patterns of health inequity. Addressing gender norms is […]
EXPLORING THE ROLE OF EVOLVING GENDER NORMS IN SHAPING ADOLESCENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCE IN PASTORALIST AFAR, ETHIOPIA
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Afar, Ethiopia, entrenched gender and age-based social norms deeply shape adolescents’ experiences of violence. Despite modest generational shifts—especially near urban areas—norms around child marriage (particularly absuma or cousin marriage), FGM/C, and girls’ limited mobility and agency continue to normalize violence and restrict girls’ choices. Addressing these norms requires more than […]