Engaging boys as “Structured Allies” to prevent gender-based violence against girls: Results from the CARE Tipping Point Initiative in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores that harmful gender norms—particularly those that normalize male dominance, tolerate sexual harassment, and restrict girls’ agency—are key drivers of sexual bullying and gender harassment (SBGH) in Nepal. Transforming these norms requires engaging boys not just as individuals but as “structured allies” within communities to shift both injunctive norms […]
Understanding How Violence Is Transmitted Across Generations: An In-Depth Multiple Case Study of Families in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that deeply embedded injunctive social norms—particularly those supporting authoritarian parenting, gender inequality, and the acceptability of violence as discipline—play a central role in sustaining intergenerational transmission of violence (ITV) in South Africa. Norms that justify harsh punishment, normalize aggression, and reinforce rigid expectations around obedience and gender roles […]
Perceptions of sexual violence among adolescents and youth in Senegal and Ghana: Insights into normalization, victim-blaming and prospective behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—especially those related to gender roles, victim-blaming, and the normalization of sexual violence—strongly shape how adolescents and youth understand and respond to sexual violence in Senegal and Ghana. Norms that frame violence as a private matter, legitimize male dominance, and place responsibility on victims contribute to silence and underreporting. The […]
Post-intervention gendered impacts and moderating factors of a government cash plus intervention for adolescents in Tanzania.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms play a critical moderating role in shaping the effectiveness of multisectoral “cash plus” interventions for adolescents. While the intervention aimed to improve livelihoods, health, and empowerment outcomes, entrenched gender norms—particularly around contraception, relationships, and service use—limited sustained behavior change. Norms influenced both access to and uptake of services, and […]
Exploring the youth perceptions of factors contributing to victims’ silence during the armed conflict in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—including stigma, normalization of violence, and expectations around silence—play a central role in sustaining underreporting of violence in conflict settings. The study highlights that violence becomes socially tolerated during armed conflict, and norms around shame, fear, and bystander inaction reinforce a culture of silence. These norms are not only individual […]
Marital control, domestic violence justification, and mental health: a study of married women in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that social norms—particularly the justification and normalization of domestic violence and patriarchal control—are deeply embedded drivers of women’s mental health outcomes in Bangladesh. Norms that legitimize male authority and accept wife-beating under specific circumstances contribute to the internalization of abuse, reinforcing gender inequality and limiting women’s autonomy. The […]
Gender norms in sexual and reproductive health and rights: insights from young Angolan women and the development of a context-specific questionnaire (2021-2022).
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms are central to shaping young women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Angola, operating through socially shared expectations around education, autonomy, relationships, and reproduction. The study highlights that norms are unevenly supported across domains and geographies, with stronger acceptance of education and relational autonomy but weaker support […]
Does going against the norm on women’s economic participation increase intimate partner violence risk? A cross-sectional, multi-national study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those governing women’s economic participation and gendered expectations around male provision—critically shape the relationship between women’s economic empowerment (WEE) and intimate partner violence (IPV). The discussion highlights that when women’s economic behaviors deviate from what is normative in their community (“vanguard” behavior), they may face increased risk of IPV […]
Exploring relationship pathways to prevent intimate partner violence among young women in Malawi.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to masculinity, male provision, women’s gender roles, and sexual expectations—play a central role in shaping relationship dynamics and intimate partner violence (IPV) among young women in Malawi. The study highlights that IPV is often triggered when men perceive threats to their socially expected roles (e.g., being questioned […]
“The child of your fellow is your child”: Building on existing protective norms to engage men as caregivers; qualitative findings from an exploratory evaluation of an edutainment intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to gender roles, masculinity, caregiving, and community responsibility—can be effectively shifted by building on existing positive and protective norms rather than introducing entirely new ones. The discussion emphasizes that norms positioning men primarily as financial providers can be expanded to include emotional engagement, caregiving, and active involvement […]