Findings from a mixed-methods evaluation of a multi-level adolescent and youth reproductive and maternal health intervention in Karnali Province, Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Healthy Transitions intervention demonstrated that gender-transformative programming at multiple socio-ecological levels can shift deeply rooted norms around early marriage, fertility, and gender roles. While notable progress was made in improving AGYW’s gender-equitable attitudes and family support for delaying marriage and childbearing, persistent social norms—such as son preference and stigma around […]
Lessons learned from a mixed-method pilot of a norms-shifting social media intervention to reduce teacher-perpetrated school-related gender-based violence in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study underscores the challenges and potential of using online platforms to shift deeply embedded social norms around school-related gender-based violence among teachers in Uganda. The intervention found that directly confronting harmful norms—such as those supporting corporal punishment or victim-blaming in sexual harassment cases—often reinforced these norms. Instead, emphasizing positive role […]
Keeping the Essentials in Place: Lessons Learned from a Qualitative Study of DREAMS in Northern Uganda.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Programs aiming to shift entrenched gender norms must invest in facilitators’ own transformation and ensure implementation stays true to evidence-based designs. Without careful attention, interventions risk reinforcing rather than challenging norms that sustain GBV. Funders should allow time for piloting and local adaptation to maximize transformative impact. Objectives: The study aimed […]
Effectiveness of curriculum-based sexual and reproductive health education on healthy sexual behaviors among year one students at Arba Minch University: A quasi-experimental study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Improvements in some individual attitudes about sexual and reproductive health were seen as contributors to normative change over time by challenging stigma and misinformation, even if collective norm shifts are not yet visible. The findings suggest that there is still a need for longer-term efforts and potentially more targeted strategies to […]
Evaluation of the Confiance Totale Campaign in Togo: Associations Between Campaign Exposure and Family Planning Outcomes of Interest
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Confiance Totale campaign influenced perceived descriptive and injunctive norms, couple communication, and self-efficacy, suggesting that ideational changes, particularly trust in providers and peer behaviors, play a crucial role in contraceptive uptake and reproductive autonomy. The campaign had stronger effects among women, who traditionally have lower access to health information and […]
Effects of digital chatbot on gender attitudes and exposure to intimate partner violence among young women in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that digital, behaviorally informed interventions can influence deeply rooted gender norms at scale. It is one of the first randomized trials to show that a chatbot can both improve gender attitudes and reduce intimate partner violence exposure among young women. The findings expand the evidence base on how […]
C’est la Vie!: Mixed Impacts of an Edutainment Television Series in West Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study finds that edutainment programming like C’est La Vie! (CLV) can shift social norms around contraception and gender equity, particularly when exposure is sustained and integrated across media. It highlights that norms are more likely to shift when multiple layers of influence—media messages, interpersonal discussions, and community attitudes—align. Social norms […]
Breakthrough Generation Initiative Mixed-Methods Final Evaluation Report July
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Breakthrough Generation Initiative demonstrated that systemic shifts in social norms—especially around gender roles, harmful practices, and community collaboration—can emerge from community-led, values-based education. The participatory approach of Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP) created safe spaces for challenging entrenched beliefs and introduced a process of organized diffusion, enabling widespread norm change […]
Qualitative research on Breakthrough ACTION’s Advocacy Core Group Model for integrated social behavior change programming in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent childbearing in northern Nigeria is shaped by social norms around early marriage, gender roles, and family honor. These norms position marriage and motherhood as expected milestones for girls, often reinforced by community and family members. Premarital pregnancy is highly stigmatized, especially for girls, while boys face fewer consequences. Changing these […]
Evaluation of Biruh Tesfa (Bright Future) for All: A program for out-of-school girls, migrants, and domestic workers in low-income Ethiopian cities
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights the importance of shifting social norms around education, gender roles, and child protection to improve outcomes for highly vulnerable urban girls in Ethiopia. Biruh Tesfa effectively engaged communities to increase girls’ school attendance and reduce harmful practices, especially around early marriage and household labor expectations. It shows that […]