‘Spoiled’ girls: Understanding social influences on adolescent contraceptive decision-making in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent girls in Kenya must navigate overlapping and often contradictory social norms that stigmatize both contraceptive use and adolescent pregnancy. Contraceptive use—particularly hormonal methods—is associated with promiscuity and feared to cause infertility, while pregnancy outside of marriage threatens educational and social standing. These stigmas are compounded by gendered power imbalances and […]
Social norms and family planning decisions in South Sudan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms deeply influence reproductive behavior in the Fertit community of South Sudan, particularly through expectations around high fertility, male decision-making, and limited female agency. However, these norms are shifting. Emerging beliefs support spacing pregnancies and investing in children’s wellbeing, challenging long-standing norms that emphasize having many children. The post-conflict context […]
Social norms, attitudes, and access to modern contraception for adolescent girls in six districts in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study reveals that prevailing social norms in Uganda often inhibit adolescent girls’ access to contraception, especially in certain districts. The belief that adolescent girls should not access contraceptives is widely shared, driven by community attitudes linking contraception with promiscuity, particularly for unmarried or young women. These norms vary significantly by […]
Social normative origins of the taboo gap and implications for adolescent risk for HIV infection in Zambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The taboo gap is driven by deeply ingrained gender norms that enforce silence and stigma around adolescent sexuality—especially for girls. Discordance between adult attitudes and behaviors serves as a signal of harmful norms. Effective interventions must confront these contradictions and include peers, parents, educators, and health systems in reshaping the social […]
Social and economic marginalisation and sexual and reproductive health and rights of urban poor young women: a qualitative study from Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how deeply embedded gender norms restrict urban poor young women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy in Gujarat, India. Respondents widely internalized dominant norms that stigmatize menstruation, silence sexual desire, and normalize male control over fertility decisions. These norms were enforced through restrictions on dress, mobility, and sexuality—especially after puberty—and […]
Social network and social normative characteristics of married female adolescents in Dosso, Niger: Associations with modern contraceptive use
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly injunctive norms upheld by family—significantly affect girls’ FP use. Kinship networks, more than peers, shape norms around fertility and contraception. Restrictive norms, especially around new brides and motherhood, contribute to social isolation and limited autonomy. Effective FP programs must address these normative environments by engaging family members and fostering […]
Sexual and reproductive health experiences of adolescent girls and women in marginalized communities in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Deeply entrenched social and gender norms—such as silence, shame, and taboo around menstruation, sexuality, and pregnancy—significantly constrain women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services in marginalised communities in Bangladesh. Norms discourage open communication, foster misconceptions, and restrict behaviors, particularly during menstruation and pregnancy. These norms […]
Side-Effects and Social Norms Influencing Family Planning Use in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights how entrenched social norms—such as son preference, expectations to avoid contraception before the first child, and misconceptions about side effects—shape contraceptive use in Nepal. These norms are reinforced by family pressures, particularly from husbands and mothers-in-law, and by community-wide surveillance of women’s reproductive choices. The discussion emphasizes that […]
Signs of a Turning Tide in Social Norms and Attitudes Toward Abortion in Ethiopia: Findings from a Qualitative Study in Four Regions
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study reveals deeply rooted negative social norms and stigma surrounding unintended pregnancy and abortion in Ethiopia, particularly affecting young and unmarried women. Despite legal reforms, abortion continues to be viewed as morally unacceptable in many communities, often equated with murder or sin. However, the research also identifies early signs of […]
Qualitative Examination of the Role and Influence of Mothers-in-Law on Young Married Couples’ Family Planning in Rural Maharashtra, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study underscores the pervasive influence of mothers-in-law (MILs) on family planning (FP) behaviors among young married couples in rural Maharashtra, India. MILs reinforce entrenched gender and fertility norms, including expectations for early childbearing, son preference, and female sterilization after achieving desired family size. Although some MILs acknowledged generational shifts and […]