Social network diffusion effects of an intimate partner violence prevention program in rural Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly injunctive norms around gender roles, violence acceptability, and help-seeking—are highly responsive to diffusion through social networks and can shift at the community level even among individuals not directly exposed to an intervention. The discussion highlights that normative change spreads beyond close interpersonal ties and may operate as a broader […]
Enablers of and barriers to ART adherence among female sex workers in mid-western Uganda: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly subjective norms such as peer approval, social support, stigma, and expectations around disclosure—play a critical role in shaping antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among female sex workers (FSWs). The discussion highlights that supportive norms (e.g., encouragement from peers, seeing others adhere to ART, and acceptance following disclosure) can enable adherence, […]
You are looked upon as a luxury tool’: Young Tanzanian women’s perception of community norms supporting partner violence during transactional sex (kudanga)
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms surrounding transactional sex (kudanga) in Tanzania both stigmatize women and normalize their subordination, creating a paradox where the practice is widely condemned yet structurally reinforced. The discussion highlights that norms rooted in gender inequality—such as expectations that men provide and women reciprocate with sex—legitimize male control, constrain women’s agency, […]
Measuring social norms related to child marriage among married women and men in Niger
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms surrounding child marriage in Niger are deeply rooted in collective beliefs about protecting girls from social and economic risks, particularly related to sexuality, reputation, and poverty. The discussion highlights that both descriptive norms (what others do) and injunctive norms (what others approve) reinforce early marriage, often justified as protective. […]
Geographies of adolescent heterosexual dating and intimacy in a rural community in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around gender and respectability strongly shape adolescent dating practices, positioning boys as initiators with greater power while expecting girls to uphold chastity and respect. However, girls actively negotiate relationships, demonstrating agency, particularly in early stages and around sexual health decisions. Importantly, norms shift across spaces: public spaces allow more […]
Exploring gender stereotypes and norms among peri-urban very young adolescents in Zimbabwe using participatory and qualitative approaches
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms among very young adolescents (VYAs) in peri-urban Zimbabwe are deeply embedded yet contested, shaping sexual behavior, resource allocation, and gendered expectations from an early age. Harmful norms—such as acceptance of boys’ sexual dominance, stigma around menstruation, and prioritization of boys’ education—are reinforced by families and communities, but adolescents themselves […]
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 […]
Predicting Sexual Abstinence in School-Going Adolescents and Young Adults in Chad and Cameroon: Implications for Sexual Health Promotion Programs
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—measured as perceived norms supporting delayed sex—were not significant predictors of abstinence behaviors in this study, suggesting that norms alone may be insufficient to shape sexual behavior without complementary individual (e.g., self-efficacy) and relational (e.g., parental relationships) factors. The findings highlight that social norms operate within a broader socio-ecological system, […]