Shifting social influences on HIV prevention behavior among adolescents in Bandung, Indonesia: the mediating role of emotional information sources.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescents’ HIV prevention behaviors are embedded within social and normative environments rather than driven by knowledge or information exposure alone. The discussion highlights peers as important normative reference points who can influence perceived acceptability, social modeling, and prevention decisions. In Indonesia, norms surrounding sexuality, modesty, authority, and propriety may constrain open […]
Generalized structural equation modeling of intimate partner violence among married women in East Africa using population-based data.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Attitudes accepting wife beating were strongly associated with all forms of intimate partner violence, pointing to deep-rooted patriarchal norms that can normalize violence within relationships. The discussion also suggests that traditional norms supporting intimate partner violence may contribute to greater sexual violence in rural areas and that women’s employment or increased […]
Evolving Gender Attitudes and Fertility Preferences: A Study of Young Women in Five Sub-Saharan African Countries.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender attitudes and fertility preferences are interconnected, but this relationship depends on the broader social and structural context. As women’s education expands and egalitarian gender attitudes diffuse, young women who reject patriarchal attitudes increasingly diverge from prevailing high-fertility norms. In low-education settings, however, even women with more egalitarian attitudes may continue […]
Discriminatory attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS in East Africa: a multilevel analysis of socioeconomic and behavioral determinants using DHS 2019-2023 data.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Discriminatory attitudes toward people living with HIV remain widespread in East Africa and appear to be shaped by broader socioeconomic and social contexts. Nearly half of the variation in discriminatory attitudes occurred between communities, underscoring that stigma is not solely an individual attitude but is embedded within social environments. The discussion […]
Determinants of husbands’ involvement in family planning: Evidence from a community-based cross-sectional study in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Husbands’ attitudes toward family planning and contraceptive use are strongly associated with whether they participate in reproductive decision-making and support their wives’ contraceptive use. The discussion emphasizes that favorable attitudes occur across social groups and that media exposure may help shape attitudes toward shared responsibility for family planning. Programs could leverage […]
Male Contraceptive Methods: Understanding Men and Women’s Views and Related Relationship Dynamics via Nationally Representative Surveys in Six Countries.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender expectations around contraceptive responsibility are important for introducing new male contraceptive methods. Most men and women supported shared responsibility, communication, and decision-making, but respondents in African countries generally reported less equitable attitudes and lower trust than those in Asian countries. The authors emphasize that regional and cultural differences, alongside concerns […]
Why do adolescent girls become pregnant? Contextual pathways to adolescent pregnancy in rural Tanzania: a mixed-methods study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent pregnancy in rural Tanzania is shaped by social norms embedded within broader economic and gender inequalities. Cultural expectations surrounding initiation, marriage, sexuality, and fertility can normalize early sexual relationships and transitions to adulthood, while gendered power imbalances—particularly within age-disparate relationships—constrain girls’ ability to negotiate contraception. Importantly, the authors argue that […]
“When the self-test kit comes with the woman, it will be like she is overpowering you”: A qualitative study of men’s and women’s perspectives on HIV self-testing kits in South Africa.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms and unequal power within intimate relationships can substantially shape whether HIV self-testing is acceptable and safely implemented. In particular, norms positioning men as household decision-makers may make woman-delivered self-test kits appear to challenge male authority, potentially provoking mistrust, conflict, blame, or violence. The authors argue that programs should assess […]
Spousal Concordance-Discordance in Justifying Wife Beating and Wife’s Experience of Spousal Physical Violence in India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Shared and internalized acceptance of wife-beating is closely associated with women’s experience of spousal physical violence. The findings suggest that patriarchal gender norms can normalize violence as legitimate discipline or control, while family and community expectations to “adjust” or preserve marriage may reinforce women’s tolerance of abuse. The authors emphasize addressing […]
Sexual behaviors, HIV self-testing awareness, and uptake among Young People (YP) attending a Ghanaian high school.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and gender norms may be important barriers to HIV self-testing among young people. The discussion highlights conservative community expectations around adolescent sexuality, stigma surrounding sexual health discussions, and fear of judgment as factors that may discourage young people from requesting or being seen using HIV self-testing kits. The authors also […]