Impacts of Multisectoral Cash Plus Programs on Marriage and Fertility After 4 Years in Pastoralist Kenya: A Randomized Trial
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores that addressing individual behaviors is not enough; shifting community norms around gender, sexuality, and the value of girls is essential. Interventions that combine community-level gender norm change with direct support for girls can reshape the social expectations that place them at risk. Successful programs must work across multiple […]
Impacts of a Cash Plus Intervention on Gender Attitudes Among Tanzanian Adolescents
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that gender-transformative social protection programs can positively influence adolescents’ gender attitudes, but such impacts are not uniformly experienced across genders. While the intervention fostered more equitable gender norms among adolescent boys—particularly regarding domestic chores, violence, and sexual relationships—girls showed no measurable improvement. This suggests that girls may face […]
I wasn’t ready: abortion decision-making pathways in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how deeply embedded gender norms, social stigma, and restrictive abortion laws in Burkina Faso collectively constrain young women’s reproductive autonomy. Abortion decisions are rarely made in isolation and are instead shaped by community actors, intergenerational dynamics, and intimate partner negotiations. Social norms around premarital sex and motherhood create […]
Harmful practices prevail despite legal knowledge: a mixed-method study on the paradox of child marriage in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the paradox of child marriage persisting despite near-universal disapproval and awareness of the law. Social norms that favor early marriage for girls—fueled by dowry, fear of harassment, and expectations around femininity and family honor—remain powerful. Norms around male control and economic incentives also drive early marriage for boys. […]
How social norms contribute to physical violence among ever-partnered women in Uganda: A qualitative study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study finds that deeply embedded social norms in Uganda contribute significantly to the persistence of physical intimate partner violence (IPV). Norms define IPV as a private, domestic matter, normalize its presence in women’s lives, and create informal boundaries that permit certain types of violence under specific conditions. These norms restrict […]
Gender-norms, violence and adolescence: Exploring how gender norms are associated with experiences of childhood violence among young adolescents in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study finds that community-level gender norms, measured through aggregated individual attitudes, are significantly associated with adolescents’ experiences of violence within the home in Ethiopia. A 12-point scale captured inequitable gender norms (IGNs), reflecting both descriptive and injunctive norms. These community norms were more predictive of violence than individual or household […]
Gender Norms and HIV Testing/Treatment Uptake: Evidence from a Large Population-Based Sample in South Africa.
Objectives: This study investigated how endorsement of inequitable gender norms influences HIV testing and treatment uptake among men and women in rural South Africa, addressing a gap in quantitative research on this topic. Methods: Data were drawn from a 2014 population-based survey of 2,057 individuals (1,053 women and 1,004 men), aged 18–49, in 27 villages […]
Gender Norms, Violence in Childhood, and Men’s Coercive Control in Marriage: A Multilevel Analysis of Young Men in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study uses the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) scale to measure gender attitudes, with community-level aggregates from senior men (ages 35–49) serving as a proxy for social norms. Findings show that more equitable community gender norms are linked to less controlling behavior and more gender-equitable attitudes among junior men (ages 18–34). This […]
Forced Sex and Early Marriage: Understanding the Linkages and Norms in a Humanitarian Setting.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights powerful injunctive norms in humanitarian settings that contribute to harmful practices linking rape and early marriage. In South Kivu, DRC, both adolescent girls and caregivers commonly view marriage as the appropriate response to rape—particularly when the perpetrator is known. These norms reflect and reinforce the belief that a […]
Gender inequality and the use of maternal healthcare services in rural sub-Saharan Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that social norms—specifically community-level acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV)—negatively influence women’s use of maternal healthcare services in rural sub-Saharan Africa. The findings demonstrate that these social norms operate independently of women’s individual attitudes or decision-making power, underlining the need for policy interventions that address gender norms at […]