Improving Menstrual Health Literacy Through Life-Skills Programming in Rural Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of gender-transformative life-skills programming in the Act With Her–Ethiopia program in shifting stigmatizing social norms around menstruation among very young adolescents in rural Ethiopia. Programming that synchronously engages girls, boys, caregivers, and communities can significantly reduce menstrual stigma and improve knowledge and behavior around menstrual health. […]
ADOLESCENT TRANSITION IN WEST AFRICA (ATWA) OUTCOME EVALUATION 2022-2023 Endline Report
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The ATWA program demonstrates that comprehensive, school- and community-based life skills education can lead to early shifts in social norms around gender and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. Although short-term changes in community-level norms were modest, significant improvements in adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, and gender-equitable beliefs suggest that norms around […]
Engaging Men in Family Planning: Perspectives From Married Men in Loma, Togo
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that entrenched gender norms shape male engagement in family planning, particularly the belief that men should have the final say in reproductive decisions. These norms create barriers for women’s agency and complicate their autonomous use of contraception. However, men’s openness to learning and their respect for trusted community […]
Community Gender Norms Change as a Part of a Multilevel Approach to Sexual Health Among Married Women in Mumbai, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that key to successful change was aligning gender-equity messages with respected religious doctrine and delivering them through credible sources. Men’s attitudes shifted more rapidly, suggesting the value of engaging male authority figures. In contrast, women’s slower adoption may reflect caution due to possible negative consequences in a patriarchal […]
A Game, a Passport, and a Poster: Changing Contraceptive Attitudes, Intentions, and Behaviors Among School Girls in Urban Burkina Faso
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The intervention showed that social norms around family planning and gender roles can shift through coordinated efforts targeting both individuals and communities. Changes in perceived peer norms, such as the belief that friends support contraceptive use, and shifts in gender role expectations within the household played a critical role in influencing […]
Transforming gender norms through life-skills programming in rural Ethiopia: short-term impacts and emerging lessons for adaptive programming: Oromia case study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Act With Her-Ethiopia program in Oromia demonstrated that gender-transformative life skills education can improve girls’ voice and agency, parent–adolescent communication, and knowledge around menstruation and violence. However, the program revealed limited or even negative short-term impacts on attitudes toward gender equality, indicating that shifting entrenched norms—particularly among boys and communities—requires […]
Changing Childbearing Norms During an Era of ART Expansion in Malawi, 2009 to 2015
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates a significant shift in community-level childbearing norms in Malawi between 2009 and 2015, particularly regarding the acceptability of parenthood for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). As access to ART expanded, societal norms evolved to become more supportive of HIV-positive childbearing, suggesting a broader process of normalization. Nonetheless, full […]
How gender norms and ‘good girl’ notions prevent adolescent girls and young women from engaging with PrEP: qualitative insights from Zimbabwe.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Rigid gender norms around sexual morality, obedience, and reputation prevent AGYW from using PrEP. These norms are enforced by families, male partners, and even health providers, limiting girls’ autonomy. Effective PrEP programs must go beyond clinical availability to address stigma, reshape community attitudes, and create enabling environments where AGYW can make […]
Human rights versus societal norms: a mixed methods study among healthcare providers on social stigma related to adolescent abortion and contraceptive use in Kisumu, Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study explores the tension healthcare providers face between upholding adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health rights and navigating restrictive societal norms in Kisumu, Kenya. While the study does not explicitly measure social norms using constructs like descriptive or injunctive norms, it uses two stigma-focused tools—the Stigmatising Attitudes, Beliefs and Actions Scale […]
Re-conceptualising gender and power relations for sexual and reproductive health: contrasting narratives of tradition, unity, and rights
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that gender and power relations among young adults in Malawi are shaped by competing narratives—tradition, unity, and rights—each reflecting different social norms. Traditional norms emphasize male authority and women’s obedience, but participants also expressed support for more collaborative (unity) or rights-based gender relations. The concept of “power with” […]