Associations of Attitudes and Social Norms with Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Adolescents and Their Husbands in Rural Niger: A Dyadic Cross-Sectional Study
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways This study shows that social norms — particularly men’s perceptions of what others believe about violence — are more strongly associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) than individual attitudes. Specifically, men who believed their communities found IPV acceptable were significantly more likely to have wives reporting IPV. This highlights that community-level expectations can reinforce IPV, even when individuals may not personally approve of it. Effective IPV prevention must go beyond shifting personal beliefs and directly target harmful norms upheld by communities.
Objectives To examine how married adolescent girls’ and their husbands’ attitudes and perceptions of social norms around IPV and gender roles relate to women’s experiences of IPV in rural Niger.
Methods This dyadic, cross-sectional study used baseline data from 1,010 married adolescent girls (ages 13–19) and their husbands in 48 villages in Niger’s Dosso region. Researchers analyzed associations between women’s reported experiences of IPV and individual attitudes toward IPV, as well as perceived community norms regarding IPV (violence against women second-order beliefs, VAWSB) and gender roles (gender role second-order beliefs, GRSB).
Results Eight percent of women reported experiencing IPV. Women who accepted IPV or perceived their communities as upholding rigid gender norms were more likely to report IPV. For men, individual acceptance of IPV did not predict their wives’ IPV reports; however, men who believed their community accepted IPV were significantly more likely to be in relationships where IPV occurred. Women’s agricultural labor and education were associated with lower IPV risk.
Conclusions In highly gender-inequitable contexts like rural Niger, community norms — particularly those perceived by men — are critical drivers of IPV. Addressing IPV requires interventions that target not just personal attitudes but also social norms that condone violence. Programs must engage communities, especially men, to challenge beliefs that normalize IPV and promote gender equity.
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