Generational trends in education and marriage norms in rural India: evidence from the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around education and marriage in rural India are shifting unevenly across generations: while education norms have changed substantially, marriage norms remain more resistant. Adolescents express aspirations for greater autonomy and later marriage for their children, but entrenched gender norms, intergenerational power dynamics, and the influence of senior household members […]
Inequitable gender norms and its associated factors among university students in southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study, 2022
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Inequitable gender norms remain widely endorsed among university students in southern Ethiopia and are strongly shaped by gender socialization processes, particularly among men. These norms normalize male dominance, women’s subservience, and acceptance of gender-based violence, with implications for sexual and reproductive health, access to services, and broader gender inequality. Importantly, attitudes […]
The role of community-level men’s and women’s inequitable gender norms on women’s empowerment in India: A multilevel analysis using India’s National Family Health Survey-5
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Community-level gender norms—held by both men and women—play a critical and independent role in shaping women’s empowerment. Inequitable norms that justify wife-beating reflect broader patriarchal expectations and are associated with reduced mobility, decision-making power, and health knowledge among women. Importantly, the similar effects of men’s and women’s norms highlight that the […]
A qualitative analysis of women’s reproductive agency and postpartum family planning in Maharashtra, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly constrain postpartum family planning (PPFP) through expectations around son preference, limited female autonomy, and the perception of contraception as a sensitive and stigmatized topic. Women’s reproductive agency is often mediated by husbands and in-laws, with covert contraceptive use emerging as a strategy to navigate restrictive norms. Norms around […]
Effectiveness of a multilevel intervention to reduce violence and increase condom use in intimate partnerships among female sex workers: cluster randomised controlled trial in Karnataka, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Samvedana Plus reduced the acceptance of intimate partner violence, increased awareness of self-protection strategies, and fostered solidarity among sex workers. These findings highlight the importance of addressing deeply embedded norms that normalize violence in intimate relationships but also emphasize that changing norms may require broader structural and community-level engagement beyond […]
Boys’ perspectives on girls’ marriage and school dropout: a qualitative study revisiting a structural intervention in Southern India
Key Social Norms Take-Aways: Boys were influenced by norms portraying them as both threats to and protectors of girls’ reputations. While some adopted more equitable attitudes, their behaviors remained shaped by dominant masculinity and family honor norms. Interventions must go beyond individual change to engage peer networks and broader community structures in shifting power and […]
Changes in Family-Level Attitudes and Norms and Association with Secondary School Completion and Child Marriage Among Adolescent Girls: Results from an Exploratory Study Nested Within a Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Indirect norms—like expectations to protect family honor by limiting girls’ freedom—powerfully shape girls’ futures. Effective interventions must target not just households but also the broader social networks that uphold these practices. Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of the Samata intervention, a three-year multilayered program in northern Karnataka, India, designed to […]
Gender Norms, Violence and Adolescent girls’ Trajectories: Evidence from a Field Experiment in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study underscores the central role of social norms linked to gender roles, marriage, and family honor in shaping adolescent girls’ agency and decision-making in rural West Bengal. Norms that prioritize early marriage, family reputation, and male authority constrain girls’ autonomy, particularly around education, mobility, and sexuality. Shifting these norms requires […]
Process and impact evaluation of a community gender equality intervention with young men in Rajasthan, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This evaluation highlights that individual-level shifts in gender norms are possible when young men are engaged in safe, reflective, and participatory group settings. The intervention catalyzed changes in attitudes and self-perceptions around masculinity, violence, and relationships. However, these internal shifts were constrained by broader social pressures—community norms lagged behind, limiting young […]
Impact of an Empowerment and Employability Program for Adolescent Girls: Evidence From India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights how early adolescence presents a critical opportunity to shift gender attitudes and build self-efficacy among girls in India, where restrictive social norms around mobility, education, and employment often limit girls’ potential. The findings show that when girls are equipped with life and employability skills—and when communities, schools, and […]