Association of fertility-related attitudes and norms among adolescent wives, husbands, and mothers-in-law with wives’ fertility desires in rural Niger
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly descriptive norms (what others do) and injunctive norms (what others approve)—play a more powerful role than individual attitudes in shaping adolescent wives’ fertility desires in rural Niger. The discussion highlights that pronatalist norms, reinforced through expectations about birth spacing and social sanctions for delaying pregnancy, constrain women’s reproductive autonomy […]
Social network diffusion effects of an intimate partner violence prevention program in rural Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly injunctive norms around gender roles, violence acceptability, and help-seeking—are highly responsive to diffusion through social networks and can shift at the community level even among individuals not directly exposed to an intervention. The discussion highlights that normative change spreads beyond close interpersonal ties and may operate as a broader […]
Enablers of and barriers to ART adherence among female sex workers in mid-western Uganda: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly subjective norms such as peer approval, social support, stigma, and expectations around disclosure—play a critical role in shaping antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among female sex workers (FSWs). The discussion highlights that supportive norms (e.g., encouragement from peers, seeing others adhere to ART, and acceptance following disclosure) can enable adherence, […]
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, […]
Adaptation of the G-NORM (Gender norms scale) in Uganda: An examination of how gender norms are associated with reproductive health decision-making
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms are multifaceted, context-specific social norms that shape women’s reproductive health decision-making, and must be measured as distinct but related constructs—particularly descriptive norms (what people do) and injunctive norms (what people believe should be done). The discussion highlights that injunctive norms may shift more quickly than descriptive norms and are […]
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 […]
Measuring social norms related to child marriage among married women and men in Niger
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms surrounding child marriage in Niger are deeply rooted in collective beliefs about protecting girls from social and economic risks, particularly related to sexuality, reputation, and poverty. The discussion highlights that both descriptive norms (what others do) and injunctive norms (what others approve) reinforce early marriage, often justified as protective. […]
Geographies of adolescent heterosexual dating and intimacy in a rural community in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around gender and respectability strongly shape adolescent dating practices, positioning boys as initiators with greater power while expecting girls to uphold chastity and respect. However, girls actively negotiate relationships, demonstrating agency, particularly in early stages and around sexual health decisions. Importantly, norms shift across spaces: public spaces allow more […]
Exploring gender stereotypes and norms among peri-urban very young adolescents in Zimbabwe using participatory and qualitative approaches
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms among very young adolescents (VYAs) in peri-urban Zimbabwe are deeply embedded yet contested, shaping sexual behavior, resource allocation, and gendered expectations from an early age. Harmful norms—such as acceptance of boys’ sexual dominance, stigma around menstruation, and prioritization of boys’ education—are reinforced by families and communities, but adolescents themselves […]
Delayed pregnancy disclosure, attributed social factors and implications for antenatal care initiation: a qualitative study among Ugandan women and their partners
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around pregnancy disclosure—particularly expectations to conceal pregnancy early due to fear of judgement, stigma, and bewitchment—play a critical role in delaying access to antenatal care by limiting women’s ability to mobilize social support when it is most needed. Objectives: This study aimed to understand social norms surrounding pregnancy disclosure […]