Evaluating the Validity and Reliability of the Gender Equitable Men’s Scale Using a Longitudinal Cohort of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights the importance of critically assessing how gender norms are measured across time and developmental stages. While the Gender Equitable Men’s Scale (GEMS) performs well overall in tracking changes in beliefs among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), individual items within the scale exhibit bias depending on life experiences […]
Examining Masculinities to Inform Gender-Transformative Violence Prevention Programs: Qualitative Findings From Rakai, Uganda.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that two dominant, context-dependent masculine norms—“reputation” (cool masculinity) and “respectability” (responsible masculinity)—shape men’s identities and justify violence against women in Rakai, Uganda. Masculinity tied to sexual prowess and dominance over women is socially rewarded among peers, while responsibility, marriage, and fatherhood are valued by the broader community. Both […]
Exploring perceptions of gender roles amongst sexually active adolescents in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that adolescent SRH vulnerabilities are deeply embedded in gendered social norms that dictate how young people see themselves and their roles. Effective interventions need to actively question and reshape these norms, engaging not only adolescents but also families and communities, to create supportive environments where young people can […]
Exploring resource scarcity and contextual influences on wellbeing among young refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda: findings from a qualitative study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Inequitable gender norms—reinforced by dowry practices, expectations of sexual availability, and gendered labor roles—exacerbate the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women in humanitarian settings. These norms interact with resource scarcity to intensify exposure to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), particularly in contexts of poverty, idleness, and environmental degradation. The study […]
Eat and you will be eaten’: A qualitative study exploring costs and benefits of age-disparate sexual relationships in Tanzania and Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Age-disparate sexual relationships among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania and Uganda are shaped by entrenched social and gender norms that normalize transactional sex and male dominance while limiting girls’ agency. The expression “eat and you will be eaten” reflects a widespread expectation that accepting gifts or money from […]
Effect of justification of wife-beating on experiences of intimate partner violence among men and women in Uganda: A propensity-score matched analysis of the 2016 Demographic Health Survey data
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study confirms that acceptance of gender norms justifying wife-beating significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), especially among women. Social norms that condone male authority and violence as disciplinary tools normalize abusive behaviors and are strongly associated with higher rates of sexual, emotional, and physical IPV. These […]
Effectiveness of Potential Interventions to Change Gendered Social Norms on Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in Uganda: a Causal Inference Approach.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gendered social norms that justify wife-beating are deeply ingrained and significantly influence the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Uganda. The study shows that even if entire communities reject wife-beating, the potential reduction in IPV incidence is modest—around 10 percentage points. This underscores that while transforming social norms is necessary, […]
Effects of Gender Role Beliefs on Social Connectivity and Marital Safety: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study Among Married Adolescent Girls in India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Progressive gender role beliefs—supporting female marital choice, shared household decision-making, male involvement in childcare, and rejecting the acceptability of marital violence—are associated with improved social and digital connectivity, greater freedom of movement, and enhanced safety from marital violence among married adolescent girls. This underscores the importance of transforming restrictive gender norms […]
Empowering Women or Pleasing Men? Analyzing Male Views on Female Condom Use in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Cameroon.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Prevailing gender norms in Sub-Saharan Africa position men as the primary decision-makers in sexual relationships, significantly shaping the acceptability and use of female condoms. While female condoms are often promoted as tools for women’s empowerment, male perspectives reveal that female-initiated condom use is frequently viewed with suspicion, particularly in marital and […]
Do Sexual Partners Talk to Each Other About HIV? Exploring Factors Associated with HIV-Related Partner Communication Among Men and Women in Tanzania.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how community-level gender norms and social engagement influence communication between sexual partners about HIV risk in Tanzania. For both men and women, social engagement was positively associated with communication, while gender-equitable attitudes were particularly predictive of communication for men. Among women, discriminatory attitudes toward people living with HIV […]