Caregiver attitudes towards HIV testing and contraceptive services for adolescents in Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around adolescent sexuality, parental authority, and family communication strongly shape adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Caregivers widely endorsed norms that adolescents are “too young for sex” and should not seek SRH services without parental knowledge, which discourages independent access to contraception. In contrast, HIV testing […]
Situational context of home-based sexual education in urban slums of Ibadan, Nigeria–evidence from a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—including expectations of abstinence, gender double standards, and cultural taboos surrounding sexuality—shape parent–adolescent communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in urban slums. These norms often limit open discussion and reinforce unequal gender expectations, while adolescents increasingly rely on peers, “streetwise” knowledge, and social media for SRH information. Effective sexuality […]
Child marriages in Senegal: Qualitative study on the perceptions of adolescents in Kaolack and Gossas
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Child marriage in Senegal is sustained by deeply rooted patriarchal gender norms that prioritize family honor, control of girls’ sexuality, and male authority in decision-making. Social expectations about preserving girls’ virginity, avoiding premarital pregnancy, and maintaining family reputation create pressure on families to marry girls early. These norms interact with poverty […]
Intention to switch from short-acting to long-acting reversible contraceptives among refugee women in Ethiopia: application of the theory of planned behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly perceived expectations and approval from partners, family members, and peers—play a critical role in shaping refugee women’s contraceptive decision-making. The study found that subjective norms were the strongest predictor of women’s intention to switch from short-acting contraceptives (SAC) to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC). This suggests that contraceptive choices in […]
Barriers to access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services among young Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and gender norms strongly shape young Rohingya refugees’ access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Norms that stigmatize premarital sex, frame SRH as appropriate only for married couples, and prioritize women’s reproductive roles limit young people’s ability to seek information and services. These norms interact with age, gender, and […]
Uncovering community needs regarding violence against women and girls in southern Ethiopia: An explorative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in southern Ethiopia is strongly shaped by social norms that normalize or tolerate certain forms of violence—especially intimate partner violence (IPV)—and place blame on survivors. Community expectations often encourage women to tolerate abuse and discourage reporting due to stigma, fear of gossip, and pressure to […]
How adolescent motherhood is perceived and influenced by sociocultural factors: A sociological qualitative study of Sindh province, Pakistan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study shows that strong social norms surrounding early marriage, fertility, and women’s roles drive adolescent motherhood in rural Sindh, Pakistan. Girls are expected to marry soon after puberty and prove their value in the family by becoming mothers quickly—often by producing sons. Extended family members, particularly older women, reinforce these […]
Psychosocial determinants of parents’ intention to support reproductive health education in Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Parents’ intentions to support reproductive health education (RHE) in Ghana are strongly shaped by social norms, particularly perceptions of whether influential figures such as religious leaders, community leaders, spouses, and peers approve of or support the program. Both descriptive norms (beliefs about whether others support RHE) and injunctive norms (beliefs about […]
The comparison of comprehensive sexuality education knowledge and attitudes in CSE-exposed and CSE-naïve non-formal settings in Lagos State, Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in non-formal educational settings can help shift social norms by increasing adolescents’ knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and promoting more inclusive gender attitudes. However, the study shows that deeply entrenched gender norms persist, indicating that sustained and more intensive interventions may be needed to meaningfully transform […]
Socio-cultural context of adolescent sexuality and youth friendly service intervention in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that entrenched socio-cultural and religious norms in Northwest Ethiopia strongly disapprove of premarital sex, discourage adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service use, and inhibit open communication about sexuality between adolescents and adults. While the study does not use formal social norms theory or measurements (e.g., injunctive or […]