Implementation and evaluation of a family planning intervention engaging mothers-in-law of young women in India: a mixed methods pilot study.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around early fertility, son preference, and women’s limited autonomy are strongly reinforced by mothers-in-law (MILs) in patriarchal, patrilocal households; however, this study shows that engaging MILs directly can help shift these norms. The discussion highlights that even a light-touch intervention can begin to transform entrenched norms by reframing family […]
Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Efficacy of Schools Championing Safe South Africa, a Social Norms Intervention to Prevent HIV Risk Behavior and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Among Teenage Boys.
Key Social Norms Takeaways: Correcting misperceived social norms—particularly adolescents’ overestimation of peers’ risky or harmful behaviors—can reduce sexual violence perpetration in the short term. Peer- and school-based normative feedback is especially influential during adolescence, as social environments strongly shape behavior; however, norms change alone is insufficient without reinforcement and complementary behavior change strategies. Objectives: This […]
Correcting misperceived norms: An integrated intervention to prevent adolescent sexual violence and HIV in South Africa.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Misperceived social norms play a central role in shaping adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors related to sexual violence and HIV risk. Adolescents in this study frequently overestimated peers’ acceptance of harmful behaviors (e.g., sexual violence, rigid gender norms) and underestimated prosocial norms (e.g., willingness to intervene, belief in survivors). These misperceptions create […]
USAID Zambia Community HIV Prevention Project (USAID Z-CHPP) Quarterly Report
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This project intentionally worked to promote protective social norms related to HIV prevention, gender, and sexual health, especially among adolescent girls and young women. It engaged cultural gatekeepers, traditional leaders, and male role models to foster dialogue on beliefs and practices that increase vulnerability to HIV, early pregnancy, and gender-based violence. […]
“Out there it’s YOLO”: Youth perspectives on a mass media HIV- and gender-based violence campaign in South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The ZAZI intervention demonstrates that using culturally relevant, multimedia campaigns—such as music videos—can challenge and shift social norms that constrain young women’s agency in South Africa. By positioning young women as active agents in their own narratives and confronting norms around sexual silence, gender inequality, and stigma, the campaign promoted collective […]
Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Using Gender-Transformative Approaches at a Community Level in Rural Tanzania: The UZIKWASA Program
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) through gender-transformative, community-level approaches can shift harmful norms surrounding masculinity, femininity, and violence. While the article does not frame its analysis using formal social norms theory (e.g., injunctive or descriptive norms), it provides extensive qualitative evidence of prevailing expectations—such as men’s authority […]
Promoting social change through edutainment: An analysis of yolo television series
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The YOLO TV series illustrates the potential of youth-focused media to challenge entrenched gender and sexual norms in Ghana. By depicting relatable scenarios and modeling respectful, equitable relationships, YOLO disrupts dominant narratives of male sexual entitlement and female silence. It opens space for critical dialogue among young audiences, though structural change […]
The influence of gender-equitable attitudes on sexual behaviour among unmarried adolescents in rural Tanzania: a longitudinal study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study explores how both individual and community-level gender-equitable attitudes influence adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in rural Tanzania. Gender-equitable attitudes were measured using the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) scale, both at the individual level and aggregated to the village level to capture perceived community norms. The study found […]
Do Community-Based Livelihood Interventions Affect Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Young People in Slum Areas of Uganda: A Difference-in-Difference with Kernel Propensity Score Matching Analysis
Key Social Norms Take-aways: While the intervention did not explicitly use social norms theory, it provides clear evidence of injunctive norms—what individuals believe others expect—related to gender, sexual behavior, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Survey items captured expectations around sexual agency, gender-based violence, and contraceptive responsibility. The intervention led to a decline […]
Evaluation of RISE II Integrated Social and Behavior Change Activities in Niger: Baseline Report
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This baseline study highlights the pervasiveness of social norms that reinforce early and forced marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), and limited reproductive autonomy among adolescent girls in Niger. Norms around family honor, male decision-making authority, and expectations for girls to marry and bear children early are deeply entrenched. The study underscores that […]