Teenage Pregnancy and Adolescents’ Attitudes Toward Marriage and Pregnancy: Primary Data Analysis in Akatsi North, Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly peer pressure, gender norms, and stigma around sexual and reproductive health—play a central role in shaping adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors related to marriage and pregnancy. Peer norms strongly influence earlier desired timing of marriage and childbirth, while more gender-equitable norms (e.g., valuing girls’ education) are associated with delaying these […]
Determinants of emergency contraceptive use among female senior high school students in the Akuapem south municipality, Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly cultural, religious, and moral expectations—play a critical role in shaping adolescents’ contraceptive behaviors by discouraging emergency contraceptive (EC) use despite high awareness. While subjective norms influenced intentions, they were less important than individual attitudes and perceived control in determining actual use, indicating that social disapproval creates hesitation but does […]
Psychosocial determinants of parents’ intention to support reproductive health education in Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Parents’ intentions to support reproductive health education (RHE) in Ghana are strongly shaped by social norms, particularly perceptions of whether influential figures such as religious leaders, community leaders, spouses, and peers approve of or support the program. Both descriptive norms (beliefs about whether others support RHE) and injunctive norms (beliefs about […]
Promoting social change through edutainment: An analysis of yolo television series
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The YOLO TV series illustrates the potential of youth-focused media to challenge entrenched gender and sexual norms in Ghana. By depicting relatable scenarios and modeling respectful, equitable relationships, YOLO disrupts dominant narratives of male sexual entitlement and female silence. It opens space for critical dialogue among young audiences, though structural change […]
‘Poverty can break a home’: Exploring mechanisms linking cash plus programming and intimate partner violence in Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how deeply entrenched gender norms around male authority, women’s subservience, and family roles shape both the occurrence and acceptability of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ghana. While the LEAP 1000 cash-plus program reduced IPV through economic security, conflict reduction, and women’s empowerment, the normative context—particularly around gender roles […]
Patriarchy and gender-inequitable attitudes as drivers of intimate partner violence against women in the central region of Ghana.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study shows that IPV in this context is not just individual behavior but part of a broader social system supported by patriarchal norms, rigid gender hierarchies, and notions of male authority. Successful prevention efforts must directly target these social norms, emphasizing community-wide change, the transformation of masculine ideals, and the […]
Small small quarrels bring about happiness or love in the relationships’: Exploring community perceptions and gendered norms contributing to male perpetrated intimate partner violence in the Central Region of Ghana.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Community norms often uphold male authority and justify IPV. However, resistance from individuals and local leaders shows that change is possible. Interventions should support these shifts by promoting dialogue and empowering women. Objectives: This study explored how gender norms and community attitudes in Ghana’s Central Region contribute to male-perpetrated intimate partner […]
Who’s that girl? A qualitative analysis of adolescent girls’ views on factors associated with teenage pregnancies in Bolgatanga, Ghana.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights how social norms around adolescent sexuality and contraception—especially beliefs that family planning is only for married women and that boys should be responsible for condom procurement—shape young women’s sexual decision-making. While many girls exhibited strong agency, clear future goals, and negotiation skills around condom use, normative stigma surrounding […]
Supporting contraceptive choice in self-care: qualitative exploration of beliefs and attitudes towards emergency contraceptive pills and on-demand use in Accra, Ghana and Lusaka, Zambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that anticipated stigma—particularly among young women—linked to emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) use in Accra, Ghana and Lusaka, Zambia is rooted in social norms that conflate ECP use with promiscuity, irresponsibility, or even abortion. While most users did not actually experience stigma when accessing ECPs, fears of judgment from […]
Predictors of intention to use modern contraceptives among female senior secondary school students in the Kpando Municipality, Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that even when social norms (such as parental or peer support) are weak or unsupportive, girls’ own sense of empowerment and perceived control plays a decisive role in shaping their reproductive intentions. Interventions should focus not only on shifting social norms but also on building young women’s self-efficacy […]