Men on the Move and the Wives Left Behind: The Impact of Migration on Family Planning in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals how patriarchal and extended family norms continue to shape young women’s reproductive health experiences in Nepal, particularly when their husbands migrate for work. Despite gaining more autonomy in some areas, women with migrant husbands still navigate deeply entrenched norms around spousal absence, fertility expectations, and decision-making power controlled […]
Men’s Attitude Towards Contraception and Sexuality, Women’s Empowerment, and Demand Satisfied for Family Planning in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms that reinforce male authority and stigmatize women’s contraceptive use remain major barriers to family planning access in India. Programs must work at the community level to transform harmful beliefs among men, promote women’s empowerment across multiple domains (especially employment), and create supportive environments for women’s reproductive decision-making. Objectives: This […]
Marriage and sexual and reproductive health of Rohingya adolescents and youth in Bangladesh: a qualitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that among the Rohingya refugee community, social norms around marriage and reproduction are deeply rooted in religious beliefs, gender roles, and protection concerns. Child marriage is widely accepted and tied to norms linking female maturity with readiness for marriage, religious duty, and family honor. Large families are socially […]
Measuring social norms of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy: an item response modelling of the IPV-ASRA scale
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study confirms that social norms justifying intimate partner violence to control women’s agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy are measurable, culturally salient, and linked to male perpetration of violence in Niger. Importantly, the norms that sanction violence when women challenge male authority—such as going out without permission or arguing—are more strongly […]
Low contraceptive utilization among young married women is associated with perceived social norms and belief in contraceptive myths in rural Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms strongly influence contraceptive use among young married women in rural Ethiopia. Perceived social approval from husbands, parents, friends, and mothers-in-law, along with perceptions of peers’ contraceptive practices, significantly affect utilization. Conversely, belief in contraceptive myths—such as fears about infertility or health risks—negatively impacts use. The study highlights how social […]
Making Sense of Marriage: Gender and the Transition to Adulthood in Nairobi, Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: While the article does not explicitly address or measure social norms, it offers valuable insights into shared beliefs and expectations about marriage and adulthood among youth in Nairobi. The study highlights how marriage is broadly understood as a marker of adulthood, but with differing meanings and desirability across genders. Young men […]
Learners’ perspectives on the provision of condoms in South African public schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Although South African learners have a legal right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, social norms—such as stigma, adult judgment, and peer pressure—undermine their ability to access them. Gendered expectations particularly disadvantage girls, who are judged more harshly for seeking condoms or related services. Changing these norms requires respectful, youth-centered […]
Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Sexual Risk Behaviour: Identifying Shared Determinants among Young Men in Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the critical role of inequitable gender norms—particularly those justifying violence—in fostering both IPV and sexual risk behaviors. Efforts to prevent violence and HIV should integrate gender-transformative approaches that address childhood trauma and promote healthy, equitable masculinities among men in high-risk communities. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the […]
Is transactional sex exploitative? A social norms perspective, with implications for interventions with adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Transactional sex is shaped by deeply rooted social and gender norms in Tanzanian communities. Core norms include male provision in relationships, reciprocal expectations of sex from girls, and peer-driven pressure to achieve a “modern lifestyle” through material possessions. Relationships are often not viewed as exploitative unless there is coercion, power imbalance, […]
Interpersonal Communication as an Agent of Normative Influence: A Mixed Method Study among the Urban Poor in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that interpersonal communication plays a critical role in how social norms influence contraceptive use among married women in urban poor areas of Uttar Pradesh, India. Using the theory of normative social behavior, it finds that descriptive norms (what people perceive others are doing) and injunctive norms (perceptions of […]