Stigma as a barrier to family planning use among married youth in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Anticipated stigma—driven by social norms around gender, fertility, and youth behavior—emerges as a significant barrier to family planning (FP) use among married youth in Ethiopia. Community expectations that young brides should prove their fertility, along with fears of judgment from providers, family, and community members, create an environment where seeking FP […]
Supporting contraceptive choice in self-care: qualitative exploration of beliefs and attitudes towards emergency contraceptive pills and on-demand use in Accra, Ghana and Lusaka, Zambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that anticipated stigma—particularly among young women—linked to emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) use in Accra, Ghana and Lusaka, Zambia is rooted in social norms that conflate ECP use with promiscuity, irresponsibility, or even abortion. While most users did not actually experience stigma when accessing ECPs, fears of judgment from […]
Socio-cultural context of adolescent sexuality and youth-friendly service intervention in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that adolescent SRH interventions must go beyond providing services — they need to address and engage with the broader cultural and religious norms that shape sexual behavior and service use. Without challenging the community’s moral and social expectations, YFS programs are unlikely to meaningfully change adolescent SRH outcomes. […]
Socio-cultural factors perceived to influence sexual behaviours of adolescents in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that prevailing social and cultural norms in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—especially those stigmatizing adolescent sexuality and condom use—contribute significantly to adolescents’ engagement in risky sexual behavior. Despite general cultural and religious discouragement of premarital sex, community-level norms perpetuate shame, fear, and judgment around seeking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) […]
Sociocultural factors perpetuating the practices of early marriage and childbirth in Sylhet District, Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that in Sylhet District, Bangladesh, deeply rooted social norms around fertility and gender roles strongly pressure newly married adolescents to have children immediately after marriage. The social expectation that childbearing affirms a woman’s value and ensures her acceptance into her husband’s family discourages contraceptive use and delays in […]
‘Spoiled’ girls: Understanding social influences on adolescent contraceptive decision-making in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent girls in Kenya must navigate overlapping and often contradictory social norms that stigmatize both contraceptive use and adolescent pregnancy. Contraceptive use—particularly hormonal methods—is associated with promiscuity and feared to cause infertility, while pregnancy outside of marriage threatens educational and social standing. These stigmas are compounded by gendered power imbalances and […]
Social norms and family planning decisions in South Sudan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms deeply influence reproductive behavior in the Fertit community of South Sudan, particularly through expectations around high fertility, male decision-making, and limited female agency. However, these norms are shifting. Emerging beliefs support spacing pregnancies and investing in children’s wellbeing, challenging long-standing norms that emphasize having many children. The post-conflict context […]
Social norms, attitudes, and access to modern contraception for adolescent girls in six districts in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study reveals that prevailing social norms in Uganda often inhibit adolescent girls’ access to contraception, especially in certain districts. The belief that adolescent girls should not access contraceptives is widely shared, driven by community attitudes linking contraception with promiscuity, particularly for unmarried or young women. These norms vary significantly by […]
Social normative origins of the taboo gap and implications for adolescent risk for HIV infection in Zambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The taboo gap is driven by deeply ingrained gender norms that enforce silence and stigma around adolescent sexuality—especially for girls. Discordance between adult attitudes and behaviors serves as a signal of harmful norms. Effective interventions must confront these contradictions and include peers, parents, educators, and health systems in reshaping the social […]
Social and economic marginalisation and sexual and reproductive health and rights of urban poor young women: a qualitative study from Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how deeply embedded gender norms restrict urban poor young women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy in Gujarat, India. Respondents widely internalized dominant norms that stigmatize menstruation, silence sexual desire, and normalize male control over fertility decisions. These norms were enforced through restrictions on dress, mobility, and sexuality—especially after puberty—and […]