The Intersection of Gender-Based Violence and Risky Sexual Behaviour among University Students in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how entrenched traditional gender norms at Ethiopian universities contribute to both gender-based violence (GBV) and risky sexual behaviors. Norms that associate women’s worth with submissiveness, modesty, and virginity—and that blame women for violence if they deviate from these ideals—create a campus climate where GBV is normalized and victims […]
The relationship between Nairobi adolescents’ media use and their sexual beliefs and attitudes.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores the importance of recognizing how adolescents’ exposure to media shapes their ideas of what is “normal” sexual behavior among peers and reinforces gender stereotypes. Efforts to address sexual health and reduce risk-taking among youth should include media literacy approaches that help adolescents critically engage with the sexual norms […]
The Relationship Between Parental Mediation of Adolescent Media Use and Ugandan Adolescents’ Sexual Attitudes and Behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that in Uganda, adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behaviors are shaped not only by media content but also by the social context in which media is consumed. Watching media—particularly sexual content—with opposite-sex peers was associated with more permissive attitudes toward casual sex. Parental efforts to limit media exposure, a […]
The ‘Demand Side’ of Child Marriage: Expanding Gender Norms to Marriage Drivers Facing Boys and Men in South Sudan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Child marriage persists due to dual gender norms—those controlling girls’ sexuality and those pressuring boys to marry to be seen as men. Addressing both is key to reducing the practice. Objectives: This study examines the underexplored ‘demand side’ of child marriage in South Sudan, focusing on how gender norms and economic […]
Socio-cultural context of adolescent sexuality and youth-friendly service intervention in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that adolescent SRH interventions must go beyond providing services — they need to address and engage with the broader cultural and religious norms that shape sexual behavior and service use. Without challenging the community’s moral and social expectations, YFS programs are unlikely to meaningfully change adolescent SRH outcomes. […]
Socio-cultural factors perceived to influence sexual behaviours of adolescents in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that prevailing social and cultural norms in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—especially those stigmatizing adolescent sexuality and condom use—contribute significantly to adolescents’ engagement in risky sexual behavior. Despite general cultural and religious discouragement of premarital sex, community-level norms perpetuate shame, fear, and judgment around seeking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) […]
Sociocultural factors perpetuating the practices of early marriage and childbirth in Sylhet District, Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that in Sylhet District, Bangladesh, deeply rooted social norms around fertility and gender roles strongly pressure newly married adolescents to have children immediately after marriage. The social expectation that childbearing affirms a woman’s value and ensures her acceptance into her husband’s family discourages contraceptive use and delays in […]
Social norms and women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms—particularly perceived and collective community expectations regarding gender roles, family honor, and the acceptability of violence—are significantly associated with women’s risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nepal. Notably, women’s perceptions of community beliefs about male control, female submissiveness, and the legitimacy of violence to maintain […]
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 norms and child marriage in Cameroon: An application of the theory of normative spectrum.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms governing child marriage can differ vastly even within a single country. This study demonstrates that norm strength determines how likely individuals are to conform or resist practices like early marriage. Understanding whether a norm is merely possible, tolerated, appropriate, or obligatory helps practitioners design targeted, effective interventions. For instance, […]