Can the law affect attitudes and behavior in the absence of strict enforcement? Experimental evidence from a child marriage reform in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Takeaways: The study shows that formal laws can interact with entrenched social norms in complex and sometimes counterproductive ways. In contexts where child marriage is strongly supported by community norms and customary authorities, stricter laws may trigger backlash rather than compliance. Instead of shifting norms toward delayed marriage, legal changes—especially when perceived […]
Developmental Trajectories of Transactional Sex and Age-Disparate Relationships During Adolescence: An HPTN 068 Analysis.
Key Social Norms Takeaways: Social norms—particularly inequitable gender norms—play a central role in shaping adolescents’ engagement in transactional sex and age-disparate relationships. These norms influence power dynamics, expectations of male provision, and girls’ ability to negotiate safer relationships. The study highlights that early exposure to inequitable norms and structural vulnerabilities (e.g., poverty, IPV) reinforces sustained […]
Promoting gender equity in a home visits programme: a qualitative study in Northern Nigeria
Key Social Norms Takeaways: Gender norms—particularly those governing division of labour, decision-making, and gender-based violence—are deeply embedded drivers of maternal health outcomes but can be transformed through participatory, household-level interventions that engage both women and men. The study shows that shifting norms requires addressing power dynamics within couples and fostering joint reflection, communication, and shared […]
Empowering Youth Through Evidence: Applying Outcome Harvesting to Evaluate Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advocacy in Ethiopia.
Key Social Norms Takeaways: Social norms around gender, harmful traditional practices, and youth roles can shift through participatory, youth-led advocacy that engages community gatekeepers such as religious and traditional leaders. The study highlights that changing norms is a non-linear, community-driven process, where empowering youth as visible advocates and decision-makers helps reshape expectations around practices like […]
Implementation and evaluation of a family planning intervention engaging mothers-in-law of young women in India: a mixed methods pilot study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around early fertility, son preference, and women’s limited autonomy are strongly reinforced by mothers-in-law (MILs) in patriarchal, patrilocal households; however, this study shows that engaging MILs directly can help shift these norms. The discussion highlights that even a light-touch intervention can begin to transform entrenched norms by reframing family […]
Social norms and security and justice services for gender-based violence survivors in Nepal: Programmatic implications from a mixed-methods assessment.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly discourage formal help-seeking for gender-based violence (GBV) in Nepal by prioritizing family honor, privacy, and community harmony over individual safety. Injunctive norms enforce silence through social sanctions (e.g., shame, ostracism), while gender norms position men and elders as decision-makers and women as subordinate, limiting women’s agency to report […]
Navigating norms: a qualitative exploration of factors shaping contraceptive use in Senegal.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that social norms—particularly those surrounding marriage, childbearing, masculinity, and female obedience—are central to shaping contraceptive use in Senegal. Norms that prioritize early and continuous childbearing, equate fertility with social value, and position men as primary decision-makers constrain women’s reproductive autonomy. The discussion highlights that these norms are enforced […]
It’s a men’s world: Influence of media literacy for women’s empowerment through social media engagement in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that social norms—particularly patriarchal gender norms, expectations around modesty, and restrictions on women’s public voice—significantly shape how media literacy translates into empowerment for women in Bangladesh. While media literacy provides women with skills, knowledge, and access to information, deeply embedded norms limit their ability to actively participate, express […]
Exploring the barriers and facilitators to HIV information and health services among youth in N’Djamena, Chad: a qualitative descriptive study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to sexual taboos, abstinence expectations, gender roles, and community surveillance—strongly shape adolescents’ access to HIV information and services in Chad. The discussion emphasizes that stigma, fear of judgment, and power imbalances with authority figures discourage care-seeking, while trusted peer networks and youth-friendly environments can help shift norms […]
Mothers’ intentions to discuss menstruation-related topics with their daughters using the theory of planned behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that social norms—particularly those related to menstruation as a taboo topic, expectations around modesty, and perceived social approval from family and community members—strongly influence mothers’ willingness to communicate with their daughters about menstrual health in Ethiopia. The discussion highlights that subjective norms (i.e., what important others think mothers […]