Spousal Concordance-Discordance in Justifying Wife Beating and Wife’s Experience of Spousal Physical Violence in India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Shared and internalized acceptance of wife-beating is closely associated with women’s experience of spousal physical violence. The findings suggest that patriarchal gender norms can normalize violence as legitimate discipline or control, while family and community expectations to “adjust” or preserve marriage may reinforce women’s tolerance of abuse. The authors emphasize addressing […]
Adolescent Attitudes, Peer Norms, and Teacher Corporal Punishment in Five Sub-Saharan African Countries.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescents’ attitudes and their broader peer normative environments are important determinants of vulnerability to teacher corporal punishment. Schools function as “normative ecosystems”: when violent discipline is collectively accepted, it may give teachers greater social license to use it and reduce adolescents’ resistance or reporting. Legal prohibitions alone are therefore insufficient; prevention […]
Perceptions of intimate partner violence among men and women in southern India: a qualitative study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Intimate partner violence in peri-urban southern India is sustained by gender norms that reinforce male authority, women’s obedience, and women’s responsibility for maintaining marriage and family privacy. Violence was sometimes considered justified when women were perceived as disobedient, failed to fulfill household duties, or were unfaithful, while stigma and expectations that […]
Help-Seeking Among Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in Thailand: A Qualitative Research Study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Cultural norms emphasizing family privacy and honor, collectivism, and traditional gender roles can discourage Thai women experiencing intimate partner violence from disclosing abuse or seeking support. Fear of stigma, blame, and damage to family reputation reinforces silence, while supportive family and friends can facilitate help-seeking. The authors emphasize addressing these social […]
Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of Domestic Violence: An Observational Study From Hyderabad, Pakistan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that patriarchal social norms shape how women recognize, tolerate, and respond to domestic violence in Pakistan. Women were more likely to identify physical violence as abuse than sexual or psychological violence, and many remained silent because of expectations that women preserve family harmony, obey male authority, and avoid […]
Gender norms, contraceptive use, and intimate partner violence: A six-country analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This cross-country study demonstrates that gender-related attitudes, used as proxies for gender norms, and couple power dynamics are important correlates of contraceptive use and intimate partner violence (IPV). Joint decision-making within couples—particularly regarding major household purchases—was consistently associated with greater modern contraceptive use and, in some settings, lower IPV, suggesting that […]
Empowerment and Intimate Partner Violence in Pakistan: Results From a Nationally Representative Survey.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adherence to patriarchal norms—particularly the justification of wife beating—emerges as the strongest and most consistent predictor of women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Pakistan. These norms reflect deeply embedded societal expectations that legitimize male control and violence, indicating that shifts in social norms are critical for reducing IPV beyond […]
Social Dominance, Sexual Double Standards, and Violence Against Women in Tight and Loose Cultures.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Sexual double standards function as powerful social norms and “legitimizing myths” that justify gender inequality and violence against women across both tight and loose cultural contexts. Even where norms differ in strictness (e.g., Pakistan vs. U.S.), the underlying normative processes linking hierarchy, gendered expectations, and acceptance of violence are strikingly similar. […]
The Role of Social Norm in Acceptability Attitude of Women Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Punjab, Pakistan.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms at the community level strongly shape individual attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV). When wife-beating is perceived as a common and accepted norm within a community, women are significantly more likely to justify IPV themselves, highlighting the powerful role of collective expectations in sustaining harmful […]
Women’s Agency as Reason for Life Threats Among the Pashtuns in Pakistan: Narratives of Women Fleeing Honor Killing and Masculine Domination.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms tied to honor (izzat) and masculinity (ghairat) function as powerful regulatory mechanisms that legitimize violence against women who deviate from expected gender roles. The study highlights that threats of honor killing are not simply individual acts of violence but are socially sanctioned responses to perceived norm violations, particularly when […]