Girls need to behave like girls you know: the complexities of applying a gender justice goal within sexuality education in South African schools
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around femininity, masculinity, and sexuality continue to shape classroom practices in ways that reproduce inequality. Teachers often reflect patriarchal and heteronormative attitudes, burdening girls and reinforcing male privilege. Transformative sexuality education must challenge these norms through inclusive messaging and critical pedagogy. Objectives: This study critically examined how South Africa’s […]
Gender Norms and HIV Testing/Treatment Uptake: Evidence from a Large Population-Based Sample in South Africa.
Objectives: This study investigated how endorsement of inequitable gender norms influences HIV testing and treatment uptake among men and women in rural South Africa, addressing a gap in quantitative research on this topic. Methods: Data were drawn from a 2014 population-based survey of 2,057 individuals (1,053 women and 1,004 men), aged 18–49, in 27 villages […]
Gender Norms and Structural Barriers to Use of HIV Prevention in Unmarried and Married Young Women in Manicaland, Zimbabwe: An HIV Prevention Cascade Analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that negative gender norms significantly constrain adolescent girls and young women’s (AGYW) motivation and capacity to use condoms for HIV prevention in Zimbabwe, particularly among married AGYW. While traditional norms around premarital sex and condom use are weakening for unmarried AGYW, married AGYW face deeply entrenched expectations that […]
Gender norms, HIV risk, and attitudes towards pre-exposure prophylaxis and other HIV preventive interventions among South African adolescents.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that simply providing information is not enough; efforts to combat HIV must also address the deeply embedded gender norms and social patterns that normalize male sexual dominance and place girls at greater risk. Strengthening positive parental communication, improving school environments, and expanding youth-centered community engagement are essential strategies […]
Gendered childcare norms – evidence from rural Swaziland to inform innovative structural HIV prevention approaches for young women.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Entrenched expectations that women, especially young women, will shoulder childcare responsibilities without support reinforce economic vulnerability and risky sexual dynamics. Structural interventions that challenge the gendered division of labor, reduce economic dependency, and shift norms around caregiving are crucial to preventing HIV among young women in Swaziland and similar settings. Objectives: […]
Forced Sex and Early Marriage: Understanding the Linkages and Norms in a Humanitarian Setting.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights powerful injunctive norms in humanitarian settings that contribute to harmful practices linking rape and early marriage. In South Kivu, DRC, both adolescent girls and caregivers commonly view marriage as the appropriate response to rape—particularly when the perpetrator is known. These norms reflect and reinforce the belief that a […]
Gender inequality and the use of maternal healthcare services in rural sub-Saharan Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that social norms—specifically community-level acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV)—negatively influence women’s use of maternal healthcare services in rural sub-Saharan Africa. The findings demonstrate that these social norms operate independently of women’s individual attitudes or decision-making power, underlining the need for policy interventions that address gender norms at […]
Gender norms and family planning amongst pastoralists in Kenya: a qualitative study in Wajir and Mandera
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights strong and intersecting social and gender norms that shape family planning (FP) behaviors among nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralist communities in North Eastern Kenya. Norms that encourage large families are both descriptive (what is commonly done) and injunctive (what is socially approved), deeply tied to religion, fate, and community […]
Gender norms and health: insights from global survey data
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms—context-specific beliefs about appropriate behavior for different genders—shape health outcomes across the life course. This study highlights that non-conformity to gender norms often results in health harms, especially for girls and women. These norms intersect with religion, wealth, and geography, creating complex patterns of health inequity. Addressing gender norms is […]
Factors associated with gender equality among church-going young men in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-sectional study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reveals that church-going young men in Kinshasa, DRC, largely endorse inequitable gender norms, including male dominance in the home, rigid views on male sexuality, and acceptance of violence against women. While some supported equitable norms—such as joint decision-making on family planning—dominant attitudes aligned with patriarchal, heteronormative views of masculinity. […]