Fostering gender equality and reproductive and sexual health among adolescents: results from a quasi-experimental study in Northern Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that a resource-light, narrative-based intervention can shift gender norms and behaviors when implemented through a life-stage approach. The most significant changes occurred among older adolescents and newly married/parenting youth, suggesting that adolescence and early adulthood are critical windows for gender norm transformation. The intervention succeeded in transforming inequitable […]
Contraceptive Conversations among Adolescent Girls and Young Women and their Partners, Peers, and Older Female Family Members in Lilongwe, Malawi: A Qualitative Analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around adolescent sexuality, fertility, and contraceptive use significantly shape contraceptive conversations and decision-making among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Malawi. Unmarried and nulliparous AGYW face the greatest communication barriers due to stigma and cultural expectations that link contraceptive use to promiscuity and nonbarrier methods to infertility. These […]
Communication, Social Norms, and Contraceptive Use among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Lilongwe, Malawi
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that AGYW are strongly influenced by their social ties — particularly partners and peers — when deciding whether to use non-barrier contraception. Interventions seeking to increase contraceptive use should go beyond delivering information or focusing on approval and instead strengthen peer-to-peer and partner communication and address perceptions of […]
Transforming social norms to improve girl-child health and well-being: a realist evaluation of the Girls’ Holistic Development program in rural Senegal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This evaluation highlights the effectiveness of community-driven, culturally embedded strategies to shift social norms that influence early marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and girls’ education. By restoring and elevating grandmothers’ traditional roles, the Girls’ Holistic Development program facilitated intergenerational dialogue, leading to greater social cohesion and community alignment around delaying marriage and supporting […]
Effects of a community-based, multi-level family planning intervention on theoretically grounded intermediate outcomes for couples in rural Uganda: Results from a mixed methods pilot evaluation
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates the power of community-based, gender-transformative dialogue to shift entrenched social norms that hinder contraceptive use among couples in rural Uganda. Using the theory of transformative communication, the intervention successfully challenged norms around gender inequity and large family size by reshaping perceptions of a “successful family” and fostering more […]
Community Dialogue to Shift Social Norms and Enable Family Planning: An Evaluation of the Family Planning Results Initiative in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The intervention successfully challenged norms that limited women’s reproductive autonomy and discouraged FP use. Dialogues helped normalize FP discussions, reduced stigma, and encouraged joint decision-making. Involving respected local figures and modeling positive behaviors created social permission for men to engage more equitably in reproductive health. The findings show how social norms […]
How does a Social and Behavioral Change Communication Intervention Predict Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management: A Cross-Sectional Study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The GARIMA intervention reveals that breaking the culture of silence around menstruation can lead to improved menstrual health and hygiene management when social and behavioral change communication is grounded in interpersonal and community dialogue. The intervention successfully shifted gender norms and increased interpersonal communication, which were key mediators of improved menstrual […]
Measuring the effectiveness of communication programming on menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) social norms among adolescent girls in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social and behavior change interventions can effectively shift social norms surrounding menstruation when these norms are conceptualized as multidimensional constructs—encompassing personal beliefs, perceived peer approval (injunctive norms), and perceptions of others’ behaviors (descriptive norms). The GARIMA initiative revealed that increased exposure to positive messaging significantly aligned personal […]
Engaging with faith groups to prevent VAWG in conflict-affected communities: results from two community surveys in the DRC
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study affirms that engaging faith leaders and faith communities can catalyze significant shifts in harmful social norms around violence against women and girls in conflict-affected settings. The intervention leveraged the trust, reach, and moral authority of religious actors to promote more equitable gender norms and reject intimate partner and sexual […]
How radio can build a more supportive environment for girls’ education, learning, and empowerment
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The EAGER program demonstrates that targeting social norms through media—especially radio—is an effective strategy for shifting attitudes that restrict girls’ education, reproductive autonomy, and empowerment. By broadcasting relatable, locally grounded stories and fostering open discussion among caregivers, community leaders, and girls, the program encouraged more equitable norms around adolescent girls’ rights, […]