Tackling the Triple Threat in Kenya: Factors Associated with Protection against HIV Risk, Gender-Based Violence, and Pregnancy among Adolescent Girls and Young Women
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms—specifically gender-equitable attitudes—play a central protective role in reducing multiple risks faced by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), including intimate partner violence and adolescent pregnancy. When combined with supportive relational norms (parental monitoring) and structural conditions (food security), these factors act synergistically as “development accelerators,” highlighting that shifting norms […]
Predicting Sexual Abstinence in School-Going Adolescents and Young Adults in Chad and Cameroon: Implications for Sexual Health Promotion Programs
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—measured as perceived norms supporting delayed sex—were not significant predictors of abstinence behaviors in this study, suggesting that norms alone may be insufficient to shape sexual behavior without complementary individual (e.g., self-efficacy) and relational (e.g., parental relationships) factors. The findings highlight that social norms operate within a broader socio-ecological system, […]
Social scripts of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Zambia: Exploring how gender norms and social expectations are activated in the aftermath of violence
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and gender norms deeply shape both the occurrence of gender-based violence (GBV) and responses to it among adolescent girls and young women in Zambia. Norms around male authority, female submissiveness, and maintaining marital harmony normalize violence, discourage reporting, and enforce silence through stigma and community sanctions. However, the study also […]
Teenage Pregnancy and Adolescents’ Attitudes Toward Marriage and Pregnancy: Primary Data Analysis in Akatsi North, Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly peer pressure, gender norms, and stigma around sexual and reproductive health—play a central role in shaping adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors related to marriage and pregnancy. Peer norms strongly influence earlier desired timing of marriage and childbirth, while more gender-equitable norms (e.g., valuing girls’ education) are associated with delaying these […]
Experiences of childhood violence and violence perpetration and the association with inequitable gender norms and violence justification in humanitarian settings in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Inequitable gender norms and the justification of intimate partner violence (IPV) are both widespread and strongly linked to experiences of childhood violence and, to a lesser extent, violence perpetration among youth in humanitarian settings. The study highlights that social norms learned early in life—particularly those normalizing male dominance and violence—reinforce cycles […]
Crossed the line’: Sexuality discourses of motherhood under 15 years in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Motherhood under age 15 in Uganda is constructed as a violation of moral and social norms—“crossing the line”—through intertwined religious and cultural discourses that stigmatize young mothers and regulate their sexuality. These norms shape not only community attitudes but also policies and service provision, resulting in restricted access to sexual and […]
Exploring the impact of perceived early marriage on women’s education and employment in Bangladesh through a mixed-methods study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms play a central role in shaping girls’ perceptions and decisions around early marriage, with norms around safety, family honor, gender roles, and acceptable relationships driving both parental pressure and girls’ own choices. Early marriage is often normalized and even desired as a socially sanctioned pathway to security, adulthood, and […]
They’ll think you’re infected’: perceived barriers and facilitators of HIV/STI awareness and testing among young Rohingya refugee women in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those linking HIV/STI testing to immorality, reinforcing male gatekeeping, and embedding stigma through religious and community surveillance—are central barriers to care. These norms operate across levels, shaping knowledge, restricting mobility, and discouraging service use. However, norms are also malleable: trusted female health workers, peer networks, and faith-aligned messaging can […]
A Social-Ecological Model to Explore Multi-Faceted Drivers of Child Marriage: An Iterative Qualitative Study in Southern Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Child marriage in southern Bangladesh is sustained by deeply entrenched and interconnected social norms—particularly those linking family honor to girls’ sexuality, expectations of female purity and obedience, and beliefs about girls’ limited social and economic roles. These norms constrain girls’ agency, justify parental control, and normalize early marriage as a protective […]
The role of community-level men’s and women’s inequitable gender norms on women’s empowerment in India: A multilevel analysis using India’s National Family Health Survey-5
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Community-level gender norms—held by both men and women—play a critical and independent role in shaping women’s empowerment. Inequitable norms that justify wife-beating reflect broader patriarchal expectations and are associated with reduced mobility, decision-making power, and health knowledge among women. Importantly, the similar effects of men’s and women’s norms highlight that the […]