Discordance, Disclosure and Normative Gender Roles: Barriers to Couple Testing Within a Community-Level HIV Self-Testing Intervention in Urban Blantyre, Malawi.
Outcomes: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-Aways Norms around adolescent sexuality, rather than child marriage itself, may indirectly drive early marriage. Strong empirical expectations exist, but normative expectations and sanctions are weak. Formative research is essential to challenge assumptions about prevailing norms. Quantitative data should be paired with qualitative methods for explanatory depth. Measures of normative expectations and sanctions should not be used interchangeably. Studies should include prudential and alternative norms to fully understand the drivers of early marriage.
Objectives This study aimed to assess whether child marriage is upheld by social norms in two districts in Southern Malawi, where the practice remains prevalent. It focused on understanding the presence and strength of norms among adults who are decision-makers for girls aged 10–17, to inform interventions under the ENGAGE project.
Methods A cross-sectional, quantitative baseline survey was administered in 2017 to 1,492 adults across four traditional authorities in Phalombe and Thyolo districts. Eligible respondents were self-identified decision-makers for at least one adolescent girl. Social norms measures were based on Bicchieri’s theory and included questions on behavior, empirical and normative expectations, personal normative beliefs, prudential reasons, and perceived sanctions. Descriptive analysis and chi-squared tests were used to assess variation by age and gender.
Results Findings revealed a gap between perceived behavior and actual normative pressure. While 89.3% of respondents believed most girls marry before age 18 (empirical expectations), only 53.2% believed that others in the community expect this (normative expectations), and just 36.4% feared sanctions. Most respondents (92.3%) believed it is wrong to marry girls before 18. Financial hardship and lack of education or employment opportunities were cited as key drivers. Strong negative attitudes toward adolescent sexuality and limited support for contraception access suggest that other norms may be contributing indirectly.
Conclusions Child marriage in these communities appears to be more of a descriptive practice than a true social norm enforced by expectations or sanctions. Norms related to adolescent sexuality and stigma around pregnancy may be indirectly contributing to the persistence of early marriage. Addressing these overlapping drivers is essential for prevention efforts.
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