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, […]
“I will take PrEP because that’s what will help me not to get infected with HIV”: barriers to and facilitators of pre-exposure prophylaxis and condom use among adolescent girls and young women enrolled in a school-based HIV prevention program in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms and gendered relationship dynamics strongly influence HIV prevention behaviors among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Condom use is often constrained by norms linking condom negotiation with distrust, reduced male pleasure, and potential conflict or violence. In contrast, PrEP offers women greater agency because it can be used without […]
USAID Zambia Community HIV Prevention Project (USAID Z-CHPP) Quarterly Report
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This project intentionally worked to promote protective social norms related to HIV prevention, gender, and sexual health, especially among adolescent girls and young women. It engaged cultural gatekeepers, traditional leaders, and male role models to foster dialogue on beliefs and practices that increase vulnerability to HIV, early pregnancy, and gender-based violence. […]
“Out there it’s YOLO”: Youth perspectives on a mass media HIV- and gender-based violence campaign in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The ZAZI intervention demonstrates that using culturally relevant, multimedia campaigns—such as music videos—can challenge and shift social norms that constrain young women’s agency in South Africa. By positioning young women as active agents in their own narratives and confronting norms around sexual silence, gender inequality, and stigma, the campaign promoted collective […]
Exploring intersections of localised gender norms and unanticipated effects of a sexual and reproductive health intervention: implications of respect and being a ‘good girl’ in Zambézia Province, Mozambique
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that deeply held gender norms about being a “good girl” — including deference, modesty, and sexual restraint — strongly shaped how a sexual and reproductive health (SRH) intervention was perceived in rural Mozambique. While the Women First program aimed to empower girls, it unintentionally reinforced local expectations of […]
The influence of gender-equitable attitudes on sexual behaviour among unmarried adolescents in rural Tanzania: a longitudinal study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study explores how both individual and community-level gender-equitable attitudes influence adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in rural Tanzania. Gender-equitable attitudes were measured using the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) scale, both at the individual level and aggregated to the village level to capture perceived community norms. The study found […]
Do Community-Based Livelihood Interventions Affect Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Young People in Slum Areas of Uganda: A Difference-in-Difference with Kernel Propensity Score Matching Analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: While the intervention did not explicitly use social norms theory, it provides clear evidence of injunctive norms—what individuals believe others expect—related to gender, sexual behavior, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Survey items captured expectations around sexual agency, gender-based violence, and contraceptive responsibility. The intervention led to a decline […]
Gaining traction: Promising shifts in gender norms and intimate partner violence in the context of a community-based HIV prevention trial in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that community mobilization efforts that target harmful gender norms—such as male dominance, IPV tolerance, and communication taboos—can lead to measurable shifts in attitudes, behaviors, and relationship dynamics. Norms change was facilitated by improved access to gender-equitable messages through media, and greater openness in couple communication, helping to reshape […]
Shifting gender norms to improve HIV service uptake: Qualitative findings from a large-scale community mobilization intervention in rural South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around HIV testing and treatment—particularly those tied to stigma, secrecy, and gendered power—are significant barriers to service uptake for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa. The Tsima intervention showed that transforming these norms—by promoting open communication, supportive male involvement, and reframing testing as a collective responsibility—can […]
Impact of Tipping Point Initiative, a social norms intervention, in addressing child marriage and other adolescent health and behavioral outcomes in a northern district of Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This impact evaluation explicitly examines how CARE’s Tipping Point program influenced injunctive and descriptive norms related to gender, marriage, and adolescent girls’ rights in rural Bangladesh. The study used a dedicated norms module to assess what adolescents and adults perceive others expect of them (injunctive norms) and what they believe others […]