“Girls Have More Challenges; They Need to Be Locked Up”: A Qualitative Study of Gender Norms and the Sexuality of Young Adolescents in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Uganda, restrictive gender norms are instilled in children from an early age, deeply shaping adolescent girls’ experiences of sexuality and limiting their agency. Boys are encouraged to express and explore sexuality, while girls are expected to be passive, modest, and solely responsible for preventing sexual activity and its consequences. These […]
“Take this shame away from me!”: A qualitative study of the social norms surrounding abortion experiences among adolescent girls and young women in Benin
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Benin navigate abortion decisions and care in a context of profound normative pressure, shaped by a “triple normative burden”: the stigmatization of premarital pregnancy, lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education, and strong moral and religious condemnation of abortion. These norms are reinforced by […]
A Deviance Approach to Understanding Use of Maternal Health Care Services in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how social norms at the community level—and how individuals deviate from them—play a significant role in shaping maternal health care utilization in Bangladesh. The concept of “positive” and “negative” deviance is used to understand how individuals who differ from prevailing community norms experience different health outcomes. Women who […]
‘I wanted to enjoy our marriage first… but I got pregnant right away’: a qualitative study of family planning understandings and decisions of women in urban Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how social norms around marriage, fertility, and womanhood shape postpartum family planning in urban Yogyakarta. There was a strong expectation that women should become pregnant soon after marriage, particularly among those who married in their late twenties or thirties. These norms often overrode women’s personal desires to delay […]
Ring your future, without changing diaper – Can preventing teenage pregnancy address child marriage in Zambia?
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Eastern Zambia, social and gender norms play a major role in driving both teenage pregnancy and child marriage. Cultural expectations around early sexual debut, family honor, and the role of girls as wives and mothers push young people—especially girls—into early sexual activity and marriage. Initiation ceremonies, transactional relationships, and stigma […]
“We Don’t Fear HIV. We Just Fear Walking around Pregnant.”: A Qualitative Analysis of Adolescent Sexuality and Pregnancy Stigma in Informal Settlements in Kisumu, Kenya.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Kisumu, Kenya, adolescent girls face intense social stigma around sexuality and pregnancy, with pregnancy seen as the most feared and shame-inducing consequence of sexual activity. Unlike HIV—which is viewed as treatable—pregnancy visibly signals sexual behavior and attracts harsh judgment from families, communities, and healthcare providers. These stigmas suppress open dialogue, […]
“It’s a 50/50 Thing You Know”: Exploring the Multileveled Intersections of Gender and Power Within the Relationships of Young South African Men and Women.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The key social norms insight is that HIV prevention efforts like PrEP cannot succeed through individual targeting alone; they must address the relational context, including norms around trust, fidelity, and male control over sexual health. Transforming these norms is crucial to enable young women to exercise agency in HIV prevention and […]
Child marriage in Ghana: evidence from a multi-media study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms play a critical role in sustaining child marriage in Ghana. Norms around female sexuality, family honor, and economic survival reinforce early marriage. Practices such as betrothal, exchange of girls, and pressure from elders and peers reflect deeply entrenched beliefs about girls’ roles and value. Interventions must focus on norm […]