Exploring the socio-ecological levels for prevention of sexual risk behaviours of the youth in uMgungundlovu District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms that endorse male dominance, multiple partnerships, and early sexual activity significantly shape youth sexual behaviours in uMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal. These norms, entrenched across family, community, and institutional levels, particularly disadvantage girls, fostering gender inequality, intimate partner violence, and limited sexual agency. The findings stress that interventions must address not just […]
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 […]
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 […]
Correlates of condom use and condom-use motivation among young South Africans
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around gender roles, trust in relationships, and HIV-related beliefs significantly influence condom use motivation among adolescents in South Africa. The study highlights how condom use is not just a health behavior but a socially situated act, interpreted through norms about fidelity, respect, and masculinity. Beliefs that condom use implies […]
Changing sex risk behaviors, gender norms, and relationship dynamics among couples in Cape Town, South Africa: Efficacy of an intervention on the dyad
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study approaches gender norms through the lens of individual attitudes, measuring participants’ agreement with statements reflecting equitable or inequitable beliefs about gender roles and relationship dynamics. While not direct measures of collective social norms (such as perceived community expectations or reference group behaviors), these attitudinal indicators reflect how deeply internalized […]
Centering female agency while investigating contraceptive use: A case study in Agincourt, South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how young women in rural South Africa navigate deeply embedded social norms surrounding premarital fertility, contraceptive use, and abortion. While community norms stigmatize adolescent sexual activity and pregnancy, women demonstrate significant agency in managing their reproductive health. Contraceptive use is framed as a personal responsibility, often requiring young […]
Beliefs About Sexual Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Adolescents in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows how social norms that reinforce male dominance and tolerance of sexual coercion contribute to the perpetration of sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents in South Africa. Boys were more likely than girls to perpetrate and experience sexual IPV and perceived greater social approval from peers and family […]
Barriers to accessing maternal health care amongst pregnant adolescents in South Africa: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates how entrenched social norms surrounding adolescent sexuality and gender roles in South Africa create significant barriers to accessing maternal health care for pregnant adolescents. Norms that frame adolescent pregnancy as shameful and deviant—particularly outside of marriage—generate fear, guilt, and stigma, which young women internalize. These norms are reinforced […]
“It’s a 50/50 Thing You Know”: Exploring the Multileveled Intersections of Gender and Power Within the Relationships of Young South African Men and Women.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The key social norms insight is that HIV prevention efforts like PrEP cannot succeed through individual targeting alone; they must address the relational context, including norms around trust, fidelity, and male control over sexual health. Transforming these norms is crucial to enable young women to exercise agency in HIV prevention and […]