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 […]
Individual and community-level impact of infertility-related stigma in Malawi
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Infertility-related stigma in Malawi is deeply embedded in gendered social norms, shaping not only how infertility is understood but also how individuals are treated based on perceptions alone. Infertility, even if only suspected, disrupts normative pathways to adulthood, identity, and social status. Women are especially burdened by stigma, blamed for infertility […]
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 […]
I wasn’t ready: abortion decision-making pathways in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how deeply embedded gender norms, social stigma, and restrictive abortion laws in Burkina Faso collectively constrain young women’s reproductive autonomy. Abortion decisions are rarely made in isolation and are instead shaped by community actors, intergenerational dynamics, and intimate partner negotiations. Social norms around premarital sex and motherhood create […]
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. […]
I am the master key that opens and locks’: Presentation and application of a conceptual framework for women’s and girls’ empowerment in reproductive health
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how gendered social norms shape women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) empowerment by influencing both their internal motivations and external constraints. Women’s roles as primary childbearers are reinforced by community expectations, partner dynamics, and health provider interactions, while societal pressures undermine their autonomy, particularly around contraceptive […]
‘I Just Keep Quiet’: Addressing the Challenges of Married Rohingya Girls and Creating Opportunities for Change
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Deep-rooted gender norms normalize child marriage, restrict girls’ freedoms, and certain forms of GBV, including IPV, often go unreported. Programs should shift these norms through safe, inclusive opportunities for married girls and community-level engagement. Objectives: This study explored the experiences of married Rohingya adolescent girls living in refugee camps in Cox’s […]
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 […]
Girls need to behave like girls you know: the complexities of applying a gender justice goal within sexuality education in South African schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around femininity, masculinity, and sexuality continue to shape classroom practices in ways that reproduce inequality. Teachers often reflect patriarchal and heteronormative attitudes, burdening girls and reinforcing male privilege. Transformative sexuality education must challenge these norms through inclusive messaging and critical pedagogy. Objectives: This study critically examined how South Africa’s […]