Post-intervention gendered impacts and moderating factors of a government cash plus intervention for adolescents in Tanzania.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms play a critical moderating role in shaping the effectiveness of multisectoral “cash plus” interventions for adolescents. While the intervention aimed to improve livelihoods, health, and empowerment outcomes, entrenched gender norms—particularly around contraception, relationships, and service use—limited sustained behavior change. Norms influenced both access to and uptake of services, and […]
“The child of your fellow is your child”: Building on existing protective norms to engage men as caregivers; qualitative findings from an exploratory evaluation of an edutainment intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to gender roles, masculinity, caregiving, and community responsibility—can be effectively shifted by building on existing positive and protective norms rather than introducing entirely new ones. The discussion emphasizes that norms positioning men primarily as financial providers can be expanded to include emotional engagement, caregiving, and active involvement […]
You are looked upon as a luxury tool’: Young Tanzanian women’s perception of community norms supporting partner violence during transactional sex (kudanga)
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms surrounding transactional sex (kudanga) in Tanzania both stigmatize women and normalize their subordination, creating a paradox where the practice is widely condemned yet structurally reinforced. The discussion highlights that norms rooted in gender inequality—such as expectations that men provide and women reciprocate with sex—legitimize male control, constrain women’s agency, […]
The paradox of enhancing male involvement in family planning uptake in rural Tanzania: insights from Bahi District, Dodoma Region
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Deeply embedded social norms—including gender role inequalities, stigma around male participation in reproductive health, and expectations that family planning (FP) is a woman’s responsibility—significantly limit male involvement in FP uptake. These norms are reinforced by peer practices (e.g., traditional gatherings), taboos around discussing sexual health, and patriarchal decision-making structures. Additionally, myths, […]
Adolescents’ agency in negotiating social norms governing sexual and reproductive health services among the Nyasa people of Rural Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescents are not passive recipients of restrictive social and gender norms but actively navigate them through strategies of reproduction, resistance, and negotiation. Social norms—particularly stigma adolescent sexuality, gendered expectations, and fear of community judgement—strongly constrain access to sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS). However, adolescents exercise agency through covert service use, […]
Caregiver attitudes towards HIV testing and contraceptive services for adolescents in Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around adolescent sexuality, parental authority, and family communication strongly shape adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Caregivers widely endorsed norms that adolescents are “too young for sex” and should not seek SRH services without parental knowledge, which discourages independent access to contraception. In contrast, HIV testing […]
Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Using Gender-Transformative Approaches at a Community Level in Rural Tanzania: The UZIKWASA Program
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) through gender-transformative, community-level approaches can shift harmful norms surrounding masculinity, femininity, and violence. While the article does not frame its analysis using formal social norms theory (e.g., injunctive or descriptive norms), it provides extensive qualitative evidence of prevailing expectations—such as men’s authority […]
The influence of gender-equitable attitudes on sexual behaviour among unmarried adolescents in rural Tanzania: a longitudinal study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study explores how both individual and community-level gender-equitable attitudes influence adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in rural Tanzania. Gender-equitable attitudes were measured using the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) scale, both at the individual level and aggregated to the village level to capture perceived community norms. The study found […]
Sociocognitive Predictors of Condom Use and Intentions Among Adolescents in Three Sub-Saharan Sites
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reinforces the importance of beliefs about what others expect and approve of as key predictors of condom use intentions among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlight that in collectivist settings, social approval from peers and family may exert a stronger influence than individual attitudes. The results suggest that […]
A radio drama’s effects on attitudes toward early and forced marriage: Results from a field experiment in Rural Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study examines how entertainment-education can shift attitudes and perceived social norms related to early and forced marriage. Although it does not use formal social norms measurement tools, it assesses perceived descriptive norms (what others do) and injunctive norms (what others approve of) through attitudinal questions about peer and family expectations. […]