Prevention of violence against women and girls: A cost-effectiveness study across 6 low- and middle-income countries
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that community-based interventions designed to change harmful gender norms and social norms around violence are among the most cost-effective strategies for preventing violence against women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. The findings highlight that investing in proven social norms interventions can improve population health, although additional […]
Drivers of adolescent pregnancy in rural Zambia: a qualitative study in Kalabo District, Western Province
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent pregnancy in rural Kalabo, Zambia, is shaped by intersecting gender norms, cultural expectations, economic pressures, and institutional barriers rather than individual behavior alone. The discussion emphasizes that the sikenge initiation rite reinforces expectations of obedience, domestic responsibility, marriage, and fertility, linking womanhood and family respectability to motherhood and limiting girls’ […]
The interplay of economic shocks and cultural practices in child marriage: Comparative evidence from India and Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Child marriage is shaped by the interaction of restrictive gender norms, cultural marriage practices, and economic conditions rather than economic hardship alone. The discussion emphasizes that inequitable norms prioritizing girls’ roles as wives and household caretakers can limit investment in girls’ education and future opportunities, increasing vulnerability to marriage when crises […]
Perspectives on post-violence support-seeking and service provision among adolescent girls and young women: Insights from community conversations in Lusaka, Zambia.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and gender norms strongly shape whether adolescent girls and young women seek support after violence and how families, communities, and institutions respond. Norms emphasizing silence, secrecy, endurance of violence, preservation of marriage, and communal harmony can discourage disclosure and formal help-seeking, particularly for violence within marriage. However, participants also described […]
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 […]
Generalized structural equation modeling of intimate partner violence among married women in East Africa using population-based data.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Attitudes accepting wife beating were strongly associated with all forms of intimate partner violence, pointing to deep-rooted patriarchal norms that can normalize violence within relationships. The discussion also suggests that traditional norms supporting intimate partner violence may contribute to greater sexual violence in rural areas and that women’s employment or increased […]
Evolving Gender Attitudes and Fertility Preferences: A Study of Young Women in Five Sub-Saharan African Countries.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender attitudes and fertility preferences are interconnected, but this relationship depends on the broader social and structural context. As women’s education expands and egalitarian gender attitudes diffuse, young women who reject patriarchal attitudes increasingly diverge from prevailing high-fertility norms. In low-education settings, however, even women with more egalitarian attitudes may continue […]
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 […]
Validating measurement of social norms for entertainment-education: a five-factor model
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms are multi-dimensional constructs that must be measured across distinct but related domains—descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and outcome expectations—to fully capture how they influence behavior. The study underscores that norms are not a single unified concept but operate through different pathways, including perceptions of what others do, what others approve […]
Measurement of social norms for entertainment-education
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms are central to how entertainment-education (EE) programs influence behavior, but their measurement requires nuanced, multidimensional tools. This study demonstrates that descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and outcome expectations can be empirically distinguished and measured with moderate reliability, highlighting that norms are shaped by reference groups and perceived social rewards or […]