Impacts of a Cash Plus Intervention on Gender Attitudes Among Tanzanian Adolescents
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that gender-transformative social protection programs can positively influence adolescents’ gender attitudes, but such impacts are not uniformly experienced across genders. While the intervention fostered more equitable gender norms among adolescent boys—particularly regarding domestic chores, violence, and sexual relationships—girls showed no measurable improvement. This suggests that girls may face […]
‘I Just Keep Quiet’: Addressing the Challenges of Married Rohingya Girls and Creating Opportunities for Change
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Deep-rooted gender norms normalize child marriage, restrict girls’ freedoms, and certain forms of GBV, including IPV, often go unreported. Programs should shift these norms through safe, inclusive opportunities for married girls and community-level engagement. Objectives: This study explored the experiences of married Rohingya adolescent girls living in refugee camps in Cox’s […]
Harmful practices prevail despite legal knowledge: a mixed-method study on the paradox of child marriage in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the paradox of child marriage persisting despite near-universal disapproval and awareness of the law. Social norms that favor early marriage for girls—fueled by dowry, fear of harassment, and expectations around femininity and family honor—remain powerful. Norms around male control and economic incentives also drive early marriage for boys. […]
Gender-norms, violence and adolescence: Exploring how gender norms are associated with experiences of childhood violence among young adolescents in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study finds that community-level gender norms, measured through aggregated individual attitudes, are significantly associated with adolescents’ experiences of violence within the home in Ethiopia. A 12-point scale captured inequitable gender norms (IGNs), reflecting both descriptive and injunctive norms. These community norms were more predictive of violence than individual or household […]
Exploring social norms around reproductive health affecting unmarried adolescent girls and young women in Burundi
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how deeply entrenched gender norms in Burundi shape adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Eight social norms emerged as having the greatest influence: sexuality and reproductive health are not discussed openly in households or the community, and it is not considered socially acceptable to do so; it is […]
Exploring resource scarcity and contextual influences on wellbeing among young refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda: findings from a qualitative study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Inequitable gender norms—reinforced by dowry practices, expectations of sexual availability, and gendered labor roles—exacerbate the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women in humanitarian settings. These norms interact with resource scarcity to intensify exposure to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), particularly in contexts of poverty, idleness, and environmental degradation. The study […]
Effects of Gender Role Beliefs on Social Connectivity and Marital Safety: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Study Among Married Adolescent Girls in India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Progressive gender role beliefs—supporting female marital choice, shared household decision-making, male involvement in childcare, and rejecting the acceptability of marital violence—are associated with improved social and digital connectivity, greater freedom of movement, and enhanced safety from marital violence among married adolescent girls. This underscores the importance of transforming restrictive gender norms […]
Childhood Trauma, Gender Inequitable Attitudes, Alcohol Use, and Multiple Sexual Partners: Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence in Northern Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that intimate partner violence (IPV) in northern Tanzania is deeply influenced by gender norms that legitimize male control and normalize violence. Both men and women often accept these norms, with women in some cases more likely to justify IPV. Socialization into inequitable attitudes begins early and is reinforced […]
Beliefs About Sexual Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Adolescents in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows how social norms that reinforce male dominance and tolerance of sexual coercion contribute to the perpetration of sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents in South Africa. Boys were more likely than girls to perpetrate and experience sexual IPV and perceived greater social approval from peers and family […]
Attitudes, Norms, and Self-Efficacy: Examining Socio-Cognitive Correlates and Sexual Abstinence Among Ugandan Youth Ages 16–18 years, in the Slums of Kampala, Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The findings underscore the powerful role of peer and parental norms in shaping sexual behavior among Ugandan youth. Programs aiming to delay sexual initiation must go beyond providing knowledge; they should also address the social pressures and normative environments influencing young people’s choices, helping adolescents develop confidence and strategies to navigate […]