Impact of the Change Starts at Home Trial on Women’s experience of intimate partner violence in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study deepens the field’s understanding of how multicomponent communication strategies can influence gender norms and intimate partner violence in complex social environments. While the Change Starts at Home trial did not demonstrate a community-level reduction in intimate partner violence, it showed that intensive engagement through structured discussion groups can shift […]
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 […]
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 […]
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” […]
A qualitative study of adolescent girls’ experiences of menarche and menstruation in rural Tamil Nadu, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals how adolescent girls’ experiences of menarche and menstruation in rural Tamil Nadu are deeply shaped by cultural codes and gender norms. While the study does not use formal social norms measurement tools, it explicitly explores how norms are constructed, maintained, and reproduced through social practices, especially those related […]
Understanding the Sociality of Child Marriage
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms—especially those surrounding gender roles, dowry, and the perceived value of girls—play a more influential role than economic factors in shaping attitudes and decisions around girls’ education and child marriage in India. Mothers, in particular, often internalize and reproduce norms prioritizing domestic roles and early marriage […]
Tracing change in female genital mutilation/cutting through social networks: An intersectional analysis of the influence of gender, generation, status, and structural inequality
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Senegal, social norms surrounding FGM/C are deeply embedded in gendered ideas of morality, femininity, and social inclusion. The study shows that these norms are not monolithic but vary significantly by region, ethnicity, and social status. In South Senegal, norms linking FGM/C to marriageability, virtue, and social support remain strongly upheld, […]
The Intersection of Gender-Based Violence and Risky Sexual Behaviour among University Students in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how entrenched traditional gender norms at Ethiopian universities contribute to both gender-based violence (GBV) and risky sexual behaviors. Norms that associate women’s worth with submissiveness, modesty, and virginity—and that blame women for violence if they deviate from these ideals—create a campus climate where GBV is normalized and victims […]
Social norm coordination and readiness to change female genital cutting: Evidence from Senegambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reinforces the social coordination norm model of female genital cutting (FGC), showing that decisions around FGC are deeply influenced by the anticipated social benefits of conformity and the costs of deviation. Families often act not purely out of individual preference but in response to the behavior and expectations of […]
Obstacles to the realization of women’s reproductive health rights in Zimbabwe
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This article highlights how entrenched gender norms undermine women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. Norms such as male dominance, expectations of female sexual compliance, polygamy, and wife inheritance severely restrict women’s autonomy. These norms are reinforced by cultural beliefs and practices that prioritize male authority, making it difficult for women to […]