Discordance, Disclosure and Normative Gender Roles: Barriers to Couple Testing Within a Community-Level HIV Self-Testing Intervention in Urban Blantyre, Malawi.
Key Social Norms Take-Aways: Norms around adolescent sexuality, rather than child marriage itself, may indirectly drive early marriage. Strong empirical expectations exist, but normative expectations and sanctions are weak. Formative research is essential to challenge assumptions about prevailing norms. Quantitative data should be paired with qualitative methods for explanatory depth. Measures of normative expectations and […]
Displacement-related factors influencing marital practices and associated intimate partner violence risk among Somali refugees in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Displacement has led to perceived changes in marital practices among Somali refugees, but underlying gender norms supporting male dominance and women’s obedience persist. While early and forced marriage and polygamy were reported to have declined due to increased education, NGO awareness efforts, and Ethiopian law, many participants still held attitudes that […]
Do perceived contraception attitudes influence abortion stigma? Evidence from Luanda, Angola
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Luanda, Angola, abortion stigma is shaped not only by direct views on abortion but also by perceived norms around contraception and unintended pregnancy. Supportive partner attitudes toward contraception are linked to lower abortion stigma, while community and media messages promoting contraception may unintentionally increase stigma by reinforcing expectations that pregnancies […]
Couples’ Economic Equilibrium, Gender Norms and Intimate Partner Violence in Kirumba, Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals how entrenched gender norms—particularly around male breadwinning and female domesticity—exacerbate intimate partner violence (IPV) when economic shifts disrupt traditional roles. In Kirumba, Tanzania, men’s inability to fulfill the breadwinner norm due to declining economic opportunities and women’s entry into paid labor triggered feelings of emasculation and social ridicule. […]
Creating allies: qualitative exploration of young women’s preferences for PrEP methods and parents’ role in PrEP uptake and user support in urban and rural Zambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms surrounding premarital sex significantly limit open communication between adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their parents about HIV prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). These norms hinder AGYW’s ability to disclose PrEP use and prevent parents from engaging meaningfully in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) discussions. However, both AGYW […]
Cross-national and multilevel correlates of partner violence: an analysis of data from population-based surveys
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Norms justifying wife beating and endorsing male authority over women’s behavior are strongly associated with higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). These gender norms not only influence national IPV prevalence but also modify how individual-level factors like education and employment affect women’s risk, highlighting the importance of transforming harmful norms […]
Community Perceptions About Use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Community norms strongly influence adolescent girls’ and young women’s (AGYW) use of PrEP in Kenya. Stigma around sexuality and misconceptions about PrEP—such as it being associated with promiscuity or HIV treatment—create social barriers to uptake. These norms discourage AGYW from seeking out PrEP, particularly in environments where conversations about sex are […]
Community-level HIV Stigma as a Driver for HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Sierra Leone: A Population-Based Study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how community-level HIV stigma—specifically stigmatizing attitudes and disclosure concerns—can shape normative beliefs that influence HIV transmission risk behaviors. Stigmatizing norms contribute to low condom usage and increased rates of self-reported sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), especially among women. These norms reflect broader societal fears and discriminatory attitudes that marginalize […]
Condom use at last sex by young men in Ethiopia: the effect of descriptive and injunctive norms
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the importance of changing community-level norms that stigmatize condom use among young men. Programs should encourage open peer communication and reduce shame related to seeking condoms. Addressing broader attitudes toward premarital sex, masculinity, and gender relationships is essential to creating an environment where young men feel empowered to […]
Community influences on modern contraceptive use among young women in low and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional multi-country analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Norms related to ideal family size, early marriage, and gender roles—particularly those that limit women’s autonomy—act as major barriers to contraceptive use. Changing these norms through community-wide interventions, education, and women’s empowerment is essential for increasing contraceptive access and supporting young women’s reproductive agency. Objectives: This study examined how community-level characteristics […]