Multiple levels of social influence on adolescent sexual and reproductive health decision-making and behaviors in Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms at interpersonal, community, and macro-social levels significantly shape adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) behaviors in Ghana. Norms that stigmatize adolescent sexuality—rooted in religious and cultural expectations of abstinence and female modesty—limit young women’s access to family planning (FP) services, contribute to secrecy, coercion, and judgment, and ultimately […]
Measuring Social Norms Related to Child Marriage Among Adult Decision-Makers of Young Girls in Phalombe and Thyolo, Malawi.
Key Social Norms Take-Aways: Boys were influenced by norms portraying them as both threats to and protectors of girls’ reputations. While some adopted more equitable attitudes, their behaviors remained shaped by dominant masculinity and family honor norms. Interventions must go beyond individual change to engage peer networks and broader community structures in shifting power and […]
Men on the Move and the Wives Left Behind: The Impact of Migration on Family Planning in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals how patriarchal and extended family norms continue to shape young women’s reproductive health experiences in Nepal, particularly when their husbands migrate for work. Despite gaining more autonomy in some areas, women with migrant husbands still navigate deeply entrenched norms around spousal absence, fertility expectations, and decision-making power controlled […]
Men’s Attitude Towards Contraception and Sexuality, Women’s Empowerment, and Demand Satisfied for Family Planning in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms that reinforce male authority and stigmatize women’s contraceptive use remain major barriers to family planning access in India. Programs must work at the community level to transform harmful beliefs among men, promote women’s empowerment across multiple domains (especially employment), and create supportive environments for women’s reproductive decision-making. Objectives: This […]
Marriage and sexual and reproductive health of Rohingya adolescents and youth in Bangladesh: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that among the Rohingya refugee community, social norms around marriage and reproduction are deeply rooted in religious beliefs, gender roles, and protection concerns. Child marriage is widely accepted and tied to norms linking female maturity with readiness for marriage, religious duty, and family honor. Large families are socially […]
Measuring personal beliefs and perceived norms about intimate partner violence: Population-based survey experiment in rural Uganda.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The findings reveal that social norms around IPV are shaped by whether women are perceived as blameworthy. People are more likely to condone violence if a woman is seen as intentionally violating expectations. The study found that, in the measurement of personal beliefs and perceived norms about the acceptability of intimate […]
Measuring social norms of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy: an item response modelling of the IPV-ASRA scale
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study confirms that social norms justifying intimate partner violence to control women’s agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy are measurable, culturally salient, and linked to male perpetration of violence in Niger. Importantly, the norms that sanction violence when women challenge male authority—such as going out without permission or arguing—are more strongly […]
Low contraceptive utilization among young married women is associated with perceived social norms and belief in contraceptive myths in rural Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly influence contraceptive use among young married women in rural Ethiopia. Perceived social approval from husbands, parents, friends, and mothers-in-law, along with perceptions of peers’ contraceptive practices, significantly affect utilization. Conversely, belief in contraceptive myths—such as fears about infertility or health risks—negatively impacts use. The study highlights how social […]
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 […]
Learners’ perspectives on the provision of condoms in South African public schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Although South African learners have a legal right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, social norms—such as stigma, adult judgment, and peer pressure—undermine their ability to access them. Gendered expectations particularly disadvantage girls, who are judged more harshly for seeking condoms or related services. Changing these norms requires respectful, youth-centered […]