Marriage and sexual and reproductive health of Rohingya adolescents and youth in Bangladesh: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that among the Rohingya refugee community, social norms around marriage and reproduction are deeply rooted in religious beliefs, gender roles, and protection concerns. Child marriage is widely accepted and tied to norms linking female maturity with readiness for marriage, religious duty, and family honor. Large families are socially […]
Married Women’s Justification of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: Examining Community Norm and Individual-Level Risk Factors.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Findings suggest that community-level norms around intimate partner violence (IPV) are the strongest predictors of women’s justification of IPV in Bangladesh. Specifically, living in communities where wife beating is widely accepted significantly increases the likelihood that women will also view IPV as justified, regardless of their individual characteristics. This underscores the […]
Measuring personal beliefs and perceived norms about intimate partner violence: Population-based survey experiment in rural Uganda.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The findings reveal that social norms around IPV are shaped by whether women are perceived as blameworthy. People are more likely to condone violence if a woman is seen as intentionally violating expectations. The study found that, in the measurement of personal beliefs and perceived norms about the acceptability of intimate […]
Measuring social norms of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy: an item response modelling of the IPV-ASRA scale
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study confirms that social norms justifying intimate partner violence to control women’s agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy are measurable, culturally salient, and linked to male perpetration of violence in Niger. Importantly, the norms that sanction violence when women challenge male authority—such as going out without permission or arguing—are more strongly […]
Low contraceptive utilization among young married women is associated with perceived social norms and belief in contraceptive myths in rural Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly influence contraceptive use among young married women in rural Ethiopia. Perceived social approval from husbands, parents, friends, and mothers-in-law, along with perceptions of peers’ contraceptive practices, significantly affect utilization. Conversely, belief in contraceptive myths—such as fears about infertility or health risks—negatively impacts use. The study highlights how social […]
Making Sense of Marriage: Gender and the Transition to Adulthood in Nairobi, Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: While the article does not explicitly address or measure social norms, it offers valuable insights into shared beliefs and expectations about marriage and adulthood among youth in Nairobi. The study highlights how marriage is broadly understood as a marker of adulthood, but with differing meanings and desirability across genders. Young men […]
Male and female conceptualizations of sexual harassment in Tanzania: The role of consent, male power
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how social norms in Tanzania shape understandings of sexual harassment, particularly through entrenched gender roles and power dynamics. Norms around male entitlement to women’s bodies, hierarchical power in schools and workplaces, and expectations that women must publicly reject advances for them to be labeled as harassment all contribute […]
It’s a woman’s thing: Gender roles sustaining the practice of female genital mutilation among the Kassena-Nankana of northern Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in northern Ghana is largely sustained by women themselves through social roles, peer pressure, and cultural expectations. While patriarchy provides the broader context, women—particularly mothers, co-wives, and female elders—enforce FGM/C as a condition for respect, marriageability, and community acceptance. Efforts […]
Learners’ perspectives on the provision of condoms in South African public schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Although South African learners have a legal right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, social norms—such as stigma, adult judgment, and peer pressure—undermine their ability to access them. Gendered expectations particularly disadvantage girls, who are judged more harshly for seeking condoms or related services. Changing these norms requires respectful, youth-centered […]
Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Sexual Risk Behaviour: Identifying Shared Determinants among Young Men in Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the critical role of inequitable gender norms—particularly those justifying violence—in fostering both IPV and sexual risk behaviors. Efforts to prevent violence and HIV should integrate gender-transformative approaches that address childhood trauma and promote healthy, equitable masculinities among men in high-risk communities. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the […]