It’s a woman’s thing: Gender roles sustaining the practice of female genital mutilation among the Kassena-Nankana of northern Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in northern Ghana is largely sustained by women themselves through social roles, peer pressure, and cultural expectations. While patriarchy provides the broader context, women—particularly mothers, co-wives, and female elders—enforce FGM/C as a condition for respect, marriageability, and community acceptance. Efforts […]
Influences on seeking a contraceptive method among adolescent women in three cities in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study reveals a disconnect between injunctive norms (what adolescents are expected to do) and descriptive norms (what they are actually doing). Social norms around age, marital status, and fertility strongly influence contraceptive decision-making. The research highlights that social networks—particularly peers and partners—play a crucial role in circumventing restrictive norms. Programs […]
Individual and community-level impact of infertility-related stigma in Malawi
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Infertility-related stigma in Malawi is deeply embedded in gendered social norms, shaping not only how infertility is understood but also how individuals are treated based on perceptions alone. Infertility, even if only suspected, disrupts normative pathways to adulthood, identity, and social status. Women are especially burdened by stigma, blamed for infertility […]
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 […]
‘I Just Keep Quiet’: Addressing the Challenges of Married Rohingya Girls and Creating Opportunities for Change
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Deep-rooted gender norms normalize child marriage, restrict girls’ freedoms, and certain forms of GBV, including IPV, often go unreported. Programs should shift these norms through safe, inclusive opportunities for married girls and community-level engagement. Objectives: This study explored the experiences of married Rohingya adolescent girls living in refugee camps in Cox’s […]
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. […]
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 […]
Gender Norms and Structural Barriers to Use of HIV Prevention in Unmarried and Married Young Women in Manicaland, Zimbabwe: An HIV Prevention Cascade Analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that negative gender norms significantly constrain adolescent girls and young women’s (AGYW) motivation and capacity to use condoms for HIV prevention in Zimbabwe, particularly among married AGYW. While traditional norms around premarital sex and condom use are weakening for unmarried AGYW, married AGYW face deeply entrenched expectations that […]
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 […]
Gender norms and family planning amongst pastoralists in Kenya: a qualitative study in Wajir and Mandera
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights strong and intersecting social and gender norms that shape family planning (FP) behaviors among nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralist communities in North Eastern Kenya. Norms that encourage large families are both descriptive (what is commonly done) and injunctive (what is socially approved), deeply tied to religion, fate, and community […]