Gender norms and family planning amongst pastoralists in Kenya: a qualitative study in Wajir and Mandera
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights strong and intersecting social and gender norms that shape family planning (FP) behaviors among nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralist communities in North Eastern Kenya. Norms that encourage large families are both descriptive (what is commonly done) and injunctive (what is socially approved), deeply tied to religion, fate, and community […]
Factors associated with contraceptive use in rural Nepal: Gender and decision-making
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender roles, particularly those that support shared responsibility for child-rearing, play a significant role in contraceptive use among rural couples in Nepal. While mutual spousal decision-making is often assumed to influence contraceptive uptake, this study found limited direct association. Instead, more equitable gender norms—such as men contributing to childcare and not […]
Factors associated with gender equality among church-going young men in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-sectional study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that church-going young men in Kinshasa, DRC, largely endorse inequitable gender norms, including male dominance in the home, rigid views on male sexuality, and acceptance of violence against women. While some supported equitable norms—such as joint decision-making on family planning—dominant attitudes aligned with patriarchal, heteronormative views of masculinity. […]
Feasibility of an HIV self-testing intervention: a formative qualitative study among individuals, community leaders, and HIV testing experts in northern Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Supportive social norms—including beliefs that peers and family members would approve of HIV self-testing (HIVST)—may help drive uptake among high-risk populations in Tanzania. However, social norms were not central in participants’ discussions, suggesting that personal agency and privacy may be more decisive factors in self-testing behavior. Still, leveraging influential community leaders […]
Exploring stigma and social norms in women’s abortion experiences and their expectations of care
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Abortion stigma is deeply intertwined with social norms around female sexuality, marriage, and motherhood. In both Kenya and India, community disapproval and cultural taboos contribute to secrecy, fear, and delayed care-seeking. Interventions must address these norms by promoting respectful, youth-friendly, and rights-based services. Ensuring privacy, providing accurate information, and challenging harmful […]
EXPLORING THE ROLE OF EVOLVING GENDER NORMS IN SHAPING ADOLESCENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCE IN PASTORALIST AFAR, ETHIOPIA
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Afar, Ethiopia, entrenched gender and age-based social norms deeply shape adolescents’ experiences of violence. Despite modest generational shifts—especially near urban areas—norms around child marriage (particularly absuma or cousin marriage), FGM/C, and girls’ limited mobility and agency continue to normalize violence and restrict girls’ choices. Addressing these norms requires more than […]
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 […]
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 […]
Exploring resource scarcity and contextual influences on wellbeing among young refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda: findings from a qualitative study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Inequitable gender norms—reinforced by dowry practices, expectations of sexual availability, and gendered labor roles—exacerbate the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women in humanitarian settings. These norms interact with resource scarcity to intensify exposure to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), particularly in contexts of poverty, idleness, and environmental degradation. The study […]
Effects of Gender Role Beliefs on Social Connectivity and Marital Safety: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study Among Married Adolescent Girls in India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Progressive gender role beliefs—supporting female marital choice, shared household decision-making, male involvement in childcare, and rejecting the acceptability of marital violence—are associated with improved social and digital connectivity, greater freedom of movement, and enhanced safety from marital violence among married adolescent girls. This underscores the importance of transforming restrictive gender norms […]