Social norms and family planning decisions in South Sudan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms deeply influence reproductive behavior in the Fertit community of South Sudan, particularly through expectations around high fertility, male decision-making, and limited female agency. However, these norms are shifting. Emerging beliefs support spacing pregnancies and investing in children’s wellbeing, challenging long-standing norms that emphasize having many children. The post-conflict context […]
Social norms and child marriage in Cameroon: An application of the theory of normative spectrum.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms governing child marriage can differ vastly even within a single country. This study demonstrates that norm strength determines how likely individuals are to conform or resist practices like early marriage. Understanding whether a norm is merely possible, tolerated, appropriate, or obligatory helps practitioners design targeted, effective interventions. For instance, […]
Social and economic marginalisation and sexual and reproductive health and rights of urban poor young women: a qualitative study from Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how deeply embedded gender norms restrict urban poor young women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy in Gujarat, India. Respondents widely internalized dominant norms that stigmatize menstruation, silence sexual desire, and normalize male control over fertility decisions. These norms were enforced through restrictions on dress, mobility, and sexuality—especially after puberty—and […]
Social and gender norms informing, voicing, and reporting against sexual harassment among domestic workers in Kampala’s informal economy
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and gender norms in Uganda deeply constrain domestic workers’ ability to recognize, voice, and formally report sexual harassment. Norms of female submissiveness, the privatization of sexual matters, and expectations around dress and propriety contribute to victim-blaming, shame, and normalization of harassment. These norms also shape how institutions and actors—such as […]
Shifts in female genital mutilation/cutting in Kenya: Perspectives of families and health care providers
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates that social norms—particularly those around cultural identity, marriageability, religious obligations, and control of female sexuality—strongly sustain the practice of FGM/C in Kenya. Despite growing awareness of health risks and legal prohibitions, communities are adapting through shifts in the practice (e.g., cutting at younger ages, medicalisation, and less severe […]
Side-Effects and Social Norms Influencing Family Planning Use in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights how entrenched social norms—such as son preference, expectations to avoid contraception before the first child, and misconceptions about side effects—shape contraceptive use in Nepal. These norms are reinforced by family pressures, particularly from husbands and mothers-in-law, and by community-wide surveillance of women’s reproductive choices. The discussion emphasizes that […]
Signs of a Turning Tide in Social Norms and Attitudes Toward Abortion in Ethiopia: Findings from a Qualitative Study in Four Regions
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study reveals deeply rooted negative social norms and stigma surrounding unintended pregnancy and abortion in Ethiopia, particularly affecting young and unmarried women. Despite legal reforms, abortion continues to be viewed as morally unacceptable in many communities, often equated with murder or sin. However, the research also identifies early signs of […]
Qualitative Examination of the Role and Influence of Mothers-in-Law on Young Married Couples’ Family Planning in Rural Maharashtra, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study underscores the pervasive influence of mothers-in-law (MILs) on family planning (FP) behaviors among young married couples in rural Maharashtra, India. MILs reinforce entrenched gender and fertility norms, including expectations for early childbearing, son preference, and female sterilization after achieving desired family size. Although some MILs acknowledged generational shifts and […]
Restrictions on contraceptive services for unmarried youth: a qualitative study of providers beliefs and attitudes in India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how entrenched social norms stigmatizing premarital sex in India shape healthcare providers’ attitudes and behaviors toward unmarried youth seeking contraceptive services. Providers often internalize and reinforce these norms, leading to restricted access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for unmarried adolescents. Even when legally permissible, many providers […]
Processing gender: lived experiences of reproducing and transforming gender norms over the life course of young people in Northern Uganda.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that changing gender norms is not a straightforward process; it involves ongoing negotiation shaped by personal, social, and structural forces. Interventions that aim to shift harmful norms must engage families, peers, schools, and communities, while also empowering young people with knowledge, confidence, and supportive networks to challenge inequitable […]