Factors Influencing Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Women: A Multilevel Analysis Across 20 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Acceptance of intimate partner violence reflects patriarchal gender norms that can normalize violence against women. Women surveyed between 2019 and 2022 were substantially less likely to justify intimate partner violence than those in earlier surveys, which the authors suggest may reflect shifting social norms and greater awareness. Education and women’s decision-making […]
Empowering women can increase modern contraception use among women with no fertility intentions in South Asia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Patriarchal gender norms and expectations in South Asia can restrict women’s independence, decision-making power, mobility, and reproductive agency. The discussion emphasizes that male supremacy and control over fertility decisions can constrain contraceptive use, including through husbands’ opposition to family planning and women’s fear of discussing fertility because of potential violence. Women’s […]
Factors affecting menstrual hygiene among women living in slum areas of Budanilakantha Municipality, Kathmandu.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Menstrual hygiene among women living in slum communities in Kathmandu is shaped not only by knowledge and access to resources but also by deeply entrenched cultural norms, stigma, and restrictions. Nearly all women experienced menstrual restrictions, and perceptions of menstruating women as impure remained common. The authors emphasize that menstrual health […]
Gender norms, contraceptive use, and intimate partner violence: A six-country analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This cross-country study demonstrates that gender-related attitudes, used as proxies for gender norms, and couple power dynamics are important correlates of contraceptive use and intimate partner violence (IPV). Joint decision-making within couples—particularly regarding major household purchases—was consistently associated with greater modern contraceptive use and, in some settings, lower IPV, suggesting that […]
Daughters-in-law’s perceptions and experiences with MILAP, a family-based intervention to reduce intimate partner violence and improve mental health in Nepal
Key Social Norms Takeaways: Social norms embedded in multigenerational households—particularly hierarchical gender norms granting authority to mothers-in-law and husbands—play a central role in shaping women’s autonomy, exposure to IPV, and mental health. The intervention demonstrates that shifting intra-family norms around communication, respect, decision-making, and women’s mobility can reduce violence and improve well-being. Importantly, norms change […]
Social norms and security and justice services for gender-based violence survivors in Nepal: Programmatic implications from a mixed-methods assessment.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly discourage formal help-seeking for gender-based violence (GBV) in Nepal by prioritizing family honor, privacy, and community harmony over individual safety. Injunctive norms enforce silence through social sanctions (e.g., shame, ostracism), while gender norms position men and elders as decision-makers and women as subordinate, limiting women’s agency to report […]
Engaging boys as “Structured Allies” to prevent gender-based violence against girls: Results from the CARE Tipping Point Initiative in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores that harmful gender norms—particularly those that normalize male dominance, tolerate sexual harassment, and restrict girls’ agency—are key drivers of sexual bullying and gender harassment (SBGH) in Nepal. Transforming these norms requires engaging boys not just as individuals but as “structured allies” within communities to shift both injunctive norms […]
Disability and Bullying Victimization Among Adolescents in Nepal: The Influence of Community Gender Norms
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Community gender norms—particularly those reinforcing gender inequality, violence acceptability, and rigid gender roles—shape adolescents’ vulnerability to bullying by influencing how “difference” (such as disability) is perceived and sanctioned. The discussion highlights that bullying operates as a mechanism for enforcing social norms, where adolescents with disabilities are seen as deviating from dominant […]
Social network diffusion effects of an intimate partner violence prevention program in rural Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly injunctive norms around gender roles, violence acceptability, and help-seeking—are highly responsive to diffusion through social networks and can shift at the community level even among individuals not directly exposed to an intervention. The discussion highlights that normative change spreads beyond close interpersonal ties and may operate as a broader […]
The Cultural Context of Child Marriage in Nepal and Bangladesh: Findings from CARE’s Tipping Point Project Community Participatory Analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: CARE’s Tipping Point project reveals that deeply entrenched social norms—particularly those around female obedience, sexual purity, family honor, and the marriageability of girls—are among the most powerful forces driving child marriage in Bangladesh and Nepal. Parents often privately support delaying marriage but conform to perceived community expectations due to fear of […]