Promoting social change through edutainment: An analysis of yolo television series
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The YOLO TV series illustrates the potential of youth-focused media to challenge entrenched gender and sexual norms in Ghana. By depicting relatable scenarios and modeling respectful, equitable relationships, YOLO disrupts dominant narratives of male sexual entitlement and female silence. It opens space for critical dialogue among young audiences, though structural change […]
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 […]
Evaluation of RISE II Integrated Social and Behavior Change Activities in Niger: Baseline Report
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This baseline study highlights the pervasiveness of social norms that reinforce early and forced marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), and limited reproductive autonomy among adolescent girls in Niger. Norms around family honor, male decision-making authority, and expectations for girls to marry and bear children early are deeply entrenched. The study underscores that […]
How is media content and outreach supporting young Zambians to make sexual and reproductive health decisions?
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Tikambe’s multi-platform approach—combining media content with peer-led outreach—successfully engaged with harmful gender and social norms around adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Zambia. While the project did not explicitly use formal social norms theory, it clearly targeted perceived social expectations around decision-making, contraceptive use, and parent–child communication. These […]
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 […]
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 […]
Findings of an evaluation of community and school-based reproductive health and HIV prevention programs in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study provides strong evidence that addressing perceived social expectations can reduce the acceptability and prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). While the intervention did not explicitly state they were measuring injunctive norms, the survey included items on perceived community approval, religious endorsement, and social pressure—core elements of injunctive norms. The […]
Sociocognitive Predictors of Condom Use and Intentions Among Adolescents in Three Sub-Saharan Sites
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reinforces the importance of beliefs about what others expect and approve of as key predictors of condom use intentions among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlight that in collectivist settings, social approval from peers and family may exert a stronger influence than individual attitudes. The results suggest that […]
Qualitative endline results of the tipping point project to prevent child, early and forced marriage in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Organized diffusion is essential for shifting social norms around intimate partner violence (IPV). This study demonstrates that interpersonal diffusion of anti-violence messaging can lead to meaningful change, particularly in communities with less equitable baseline norms. Social networks play a central role in facilitating this change, highlighting the importance of targeting interventions […]