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 […]
How do local gender norms interact with local conceptualisations of empowerment to shape women’s engagement in local dairy value chains in Tanzania?
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Women’s efforts to become economically empowered are heavily shaped by gender norms that prioritize domestic roles, restrict mobility, and discourage public leadership. Successful strategies depend on navigating these norms. Interventions that understand local dynamics can support incremental but meaningful shifts toward greater agency for women. Objectives: This study explored how local […]
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 […]
Gendered Experiences of Parent–Child Communication on Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues: A Qualitative Study Employing Community-Based Participatory Methods among Primary Caregivers and Community Stakeholders in Rural South-Western Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study illustrates how deeply rooted gender norms in rural south-western Uganda shape parent–child communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Gendered expectations restrict mothers and fathers to only discussing topics with same-gender children and reinforce unequal socialization, where girls are expected to be submissive and boys are given more freedom. […]
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 […]
Getting to intent: Are social norms influencing intentions to use modern contraception in the DRC?
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms significantly influence intentions to use modern contraception in Kinshasa, DRC — but the influence varies by gender. Men are more affected by descriptive norms (what others do), while women are more influenced by injunctive norms (what others approve of). These findings highlight the need for […]
Girls need to behave like girls you know: the complexities of applying a gender justice goal within sexuality education in South African schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around femininity, masculinity, and sexuality continue to shape classroom practices in ways that reproduce inequality. Teachers often reflect patriarchal and heteronormative attitudes, burdening girls and reinforcing male privilege. Transformative sexuality education must challenge these norms through inclusive messaging and critical pedagogy. Objectives: This study critically examined how South Africa’s […]
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 […]
Gendered childcare norms – evidence from rural Swaziland to inform innovative structural HIV prevention approaches for young women.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Entrenched expectations that women, especially young women, will shoulder childcare responsibilities without support reinforce economic vulnerability and risky sexual dynamics. Structural interventions that challenge the gendered division of labor, reduce economic dependency, and shift norms around caregiving are crucial to preventing HIV among young women in Swaziland and similar settings. Objectives: […]