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 […]
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 […]
The paradox of enhancing male involvement in family planning uptake in rural Tanzania: insights from Bahi District, Dodoma Region
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Deeply embedded social norms—including gender role inequalities, stigma around male participation in reproductive health, and expectations that family planning (FP) is a woman’s responsibility—significantly limit male involvement in FP uptake. These norms are reinforced by peer practices (e.g., traditional gatherings), taboos around discussing sexual health, and patriarchal decision-making structures. Additionally, myths, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Adolescents’ agency in negotiating social norms governing sexual and reproductive health services among the Nyasa people of Rural Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescents are not passive recipients of restrictive social and gender norms but actively navigate them through strategies of reproduction, resistance, and negotiation. Social norms—particularly stigma adolescent sexuality, gendered expectations, and fear of community judgement—strongly constrain access to sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS). However, adolescents exercise agency through covert service use, […]
Multigenerational attitudes to gender norms on intimate partner violence and the sexual and reproductive health of young people in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around intimate partner violence (IPV) appear to be strongly entrenched and transmitted across generations, with little variation in attitudes, suggesting persistent normalization of harmful beliefs. In contrast, norms related to sexuality and reproductive health are more dynamic, with younger generations showing more egalitarian attitudes, likely due to increased access […]
Psychosocial determinants of contraceptive desire and use among sexually-active adolescent girls in Kenya and Nigeria: implications for girl-centered contraceptive programs
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly descriptive norms around contraceptive acceptability—play a meaningful role in shaping adolescent girls’ desire for and use of contraception, but operate alongside individual psychosocial factors such as knowledge, perceived relevance, and self-efficacy. Norms that valorize early childbearing and fertility within marriage can suppress contraceptive demand, while normalization of contraceptive use […]
Tackling the Triple Threat in Kenya: Factors Associated with Protection against HIV Risk, Gender-Based Violence, and Pregnancy among Adolescent Girls and Young Women
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms—specifically gender-equitable attitudes—play a central protective role in reducing multiple risks faced by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), including intimate partner violence and adolescent pregnancy. When combined with supportive relational norms (parental monitoring) and structural conditions (food security), these factors act synergistically as “development accelerators,” highlighting that shifting norms […]
Balancing pragmatism, norms and power relations: a qualitative study among post-abortion intrauterine device users in central Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around gender roles, fertility expectations, and male dominance in reproductive decision-making both constrain and shape women’s contraceptive use; however, women actively navigate and resist these norms through strategies such as asserting bodily autonomy, relying on pragmatic and economic reasoning, and using contraception covertly. Compassionate counselling can help shift perceived […]