Role of husband’s attitude towards the usage of contraceptives for unmet need of family planning among married women of reproductive age in Pakistan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that unmet need for family planning (UMNFP) in Pakistan is shaped not only by individual or household characteristics but also by gendered social norms embedded within patriarchal decision-making. Husbands’ opposition to contraception, male control over reproductive decisions, and perceived religious prohibitions were among the strongest predictors of UMNFP. […]
Empowerment and Intimate Partner Violence in Pakistan: Results From a Nationally Representative Survey.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adherence to patriarchal norms—particularly the justification of wife beating—emerges as the strongest and most consistent predictor of women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Pakistan. These norms reflect deeply embedded societal expectations that legitimize male control and violence, indicating that shifts in social norms are critical for reducing IPV beyond […]
Social Dominance, Sexual Double Standards, and Violence Against Women in Tight and Loose Cultures.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Sexual double standards function as powerful social norms and “legitimizing myths” that justify gender inequality and violence against women across both tight and loose cultural contexts. Even where norms differ in strictness (e.g., Pakistan vs. U.S.), the underlying normative processes linking hierarchy, gendered expectations, and acceptance of violence are strikingly similar. […]
The Role of Social Norm in Acceptability Attitude of Women Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Punjab, Pakistan.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms at the community level strongly shape individual attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV). When wife-beating is perceived as a common and accepted norm within a community, women are significantly more likely to justify IPV themselves, highlighting the powerful role of collective expectations in sustaining harmful […]
Variability in Reproductive Choices: A Comprehensive Analysis of Women’s Working Status and Fertility Behavior in Pakistan.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that women’s reproductive choices are shaped not only by employment status but also by underlying gender norms and cultural expectations around women’s roles, autonomy, and family planning. Greater workforce participation is associated with increased decision-making power and autonomy, suggesting that shifts in norms around women’s economic roles can […]
Exploring the barriers and facilitators to HIV information and health services among youth in N’Djamena, Chad: a qualitative descriptive study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to sexual taboos, abstinence expectations, gender roles, and community surveillance—strongly shape adolescents’ access to HIV information and services in Chad. The discussion emphasizes that stigma, fear of judgment, and power imbalances with authority figures discourage care-seeking, while trusted peer networks and youth-friendly environments can help shift norms […]
Mothers’ intentions to discuss menstruation-related topics with their daughters using the theory of planned behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that social norms—particularly those related to menstruation as a taboo topic, expectations around modesty, and perceived social approval from family and community members—strongly influence mothers’ willingness to communicate with their daughters about menstrual health in Ethiopia. The discussion highlights that subjective norms (i.e., what important others think mothers […]
Parents’ acceptance of human papilloma virus vaccination for their daughters in adet town, North Gojjam zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A mixed method study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights that social norms—particularly subjective norms shaped by influential actors such as health professionals, religious leaders, peers, and family—play a critical role in shaping parents’ acceptance of HPV vaccination for their daughters in Ethiopia. Norms operate through perceived expectations and social pressure, where approval or endorsement from trusted community […]
Public Perceptions and Social Norms Influencing Violence Contemplation and Perpetration Against Sexual and Gender Minorities in Rwanda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study shows that social norms—particularly heteronormativity, stigma, and discriminatory community attitudes—play a central role in shaping both the contemplation and perpetration of violence against sexual and gender minorities in Rwanda. Drawing on norm-centered stigma theory, the findings highlight how both descriptive norms (what people perceive others do) and injunctive norms […]
Perceptions of sexual violence among adolescents and youth in Senegal and Ghana: Insights into normalization, victim-blaming and prospective behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—especially those related to gender roles, victim-blaming, and the normalization of sexual violence—strongly shape how adolescents and youth understand and respond to sexual violence in Senegal and Ghana. Norms that frame violence as a private matter, legitimize male dominance, and place responsibility on victims contribute to silence and underreporting. The […]