Uneven progress: trends and social inequalities in women’s empowerment domains in Ghana from 2003-2022
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Ghana has made substantial progress in women’s rejection of norms that justify intimate partner violence, suggesting meaningful normative change, but this progress has not translated evenly into other dimensions of women’s empowerment. The discussion emphasizes that restrictive gender norms and household power relations continue to constrain decision-making, particularly among disadvantaged groups. […]
Perspectives of adolescent girls (10-19 years) in Mahama camp on factors affecting accessibility of contraceptive services in the camp in 2022
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and cultural expectations around adolescent sexuality substantially shape adolescent girls’ access to contraception in Mahama refugee camp. Community expectations favor abstinence before marriage and often frame contraception as appropriate only for married women. Girls therefore anticipate shame, gossip, stigma, and being labeled as sexually immoral if seen seeking contraception, discouraging […]
Condom literacy, self-efficacy, and HIV-risk behaviors: a cross-sectional analysis of adolescent girls in northwestern Botswana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Although gender and relationship norms were not independently associated with girls’ perceived ability to insist on condom use after adjustment, the discussion emphasizes that patriarchal beliefs about male power in sexual relationships may still impede girls’ ability to translate condom-use intentions into behavior. A notable minority of girls endorsed beliefs that […]
Parental and Adolescent Factors predicting Protective Sexual Behaviors among In-School Adolescents: A Positive Deviance Explanation
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Peer sexual norms are an important influence on adolescents’ protective sexual behaviors. Adolescents who perceived their peers as more accepting of sexual activity were less likely to abstain or practice safer sex. The discussion further emphasizes that these peer influences operate within broader gendered norms: girls may face unequal sanctions for […]
Explaining the attitude-behavior gap in adolescent sexual and reproductive health service utilization: A cognitive dissonance perspective from rural Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescents’ favorable attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health services do not necessarily translate into use when stigma, anticipated judgment, misinformation, and peer influence reinforce non-use. The discussion emphasizes that social norms interact with psychological and structural barriers: fear of being labeled promiscuous or irresponsible can justify avoiding services, while reliance on […]
Attitude and Involvement Regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and cultural expectations appear to shape university students’ attitudes toward and engagement with sexual and reproductive health. The discussion suggests that male students may face stigma and gendered expectations that discourage seeking information or showing interest in reproductive health, while broader gendered socialization and unequal access to resources may reinforce […]
Gender-based violence and the inclusion of men in GBV prevention campaigns: perceptions of students in a university in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender-based violence prevention should move beyond awareness-raising to actively address harmful gender norms, unequal power relations, and the social and institutional conditions that allow violence to persist. Participants viewed men as potentially important agents for transforming harmful masculinities and gender norms, but emphasized that male engagement must be carefully structured around […]
The interplay of economic shocks and cultural practices in child marriage: Comparative evidence from India and Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Child marriage is shaped by the interaction of restrictive gender norms, cultural marriage practices, and economic conditions rather than economic hardship alone. The discussion emphasizes that inequitable norms prioritizing girls’ roles as wives and household caretakers can limit investment in girls’ education and future opportunities, increasing vulnerability to marriage when crises […]
Drivers of adolescent pregnancy in rural Zambia: a qualitative study in Kalabo District, Western Province
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent pregnancy in rural Kalabo, Zambia, is shaped by intersecting gender norms, cultural expectations, economic pressures, and institutional barriers rather than individual behavior alone. The discussion emphasizes that the sikenge initiation rite reinforces expectations of obedience, domestic responsibility, marriage, and fertility, linking womanhood and family respectability to motherhood and limiting girls’ […]
Experiences and actions taken by women to address delayed conception in Delhi, India: A qualitative study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social expectations surrounding motherhood strongly shaped women’s experiences of delayed conception and their responses to it. Women described internalizing conventional gender roles that positioned childbearing as central to women’s social value, while family and community expectations to conceive soon after marriage created pressure, stigma, and blame. These expectations encouraged women to […]