What Influences Girls’ Age at Marriage in Burkina Faso and Tanzania? Exploring the Contribution of Individual, Household, and Community Level Factors
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study underscores how social norms—particularly community expectations regarding girls’ age at marriage and parental fears of premarital sex—play a significant role in shaping the prevalence of child marriage, with notable variation by context. In Burkina Faso, social norms among fathers regarding later marriage were significantly associated with lower child marriage […]
Women’s Work, Gender Roles, and Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how prevailing gender norms—particularly male approval of wife beating and male dominance in household decision-making—shape the relationship between women’s economic participation and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nigeria. Women’s employment, especially in contexts where traditional gender norms are strongly upheld, may increase their risk of IPV, suggesting that […]
Understanding the Psychosocial Correlates of the Intention to Use Condoms among Young Men in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—especially the perceived expectations of peers and elders—strongly influence young men’s condom use intentions. Changing these norms is key to improving safer sex practices. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the psychosocial factors influencing young men’s intentions to use condoms consistently in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It focused on how social […]
Understanding how social norms affect modern contraceptive use
Key Social Norms Take-aways: A critical social norms insight from this study is that norms which discourage contraceptive use likely function primarily by decreasing women’s practical abilities (mental effort, social embarrassment, access confidence) to use contraception. This finding suggests that programs aimed at shifting social norms or mitigating their negative impacts on contraception should prioritize […]
The Role of Social Norm in Acceptability Attitude of Women Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Punjab, Pakistan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study confirms that social norms play a powerful role in shaping women’s acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Punjab, Pakistan. Community-level acceptance of wife-beating is one of the strongest predictors of individual women’s attitudes, indicating a deeply entrenched cultural norm that views IPV as a justified response to perceived […]
The role of social norms on adolescent family planning in rural Kilifi county, Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study reinforces that social norms are multi-layered and gendered. Among young women, especially those who are unmarried, affiliation with peers who use modern contraception can reduce stigma and encourage uptake. Programs should target not just individual beliefs, but also reshape community norms and leverage peer influence—particularly same-sex peer networks—to foster […]
The influence of perceived behaviour control, attitude and empowerment on reported condom use and intention to use condoms among adolescents in rural Tanzania
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—including peer and community expectations, gender dynamics, and religious views—exert indirect but powerful influence on adolescents’ sexual behaviors in rural Tanzania. Although subjective norms were not statistically significant predictors in this study, the broader social environment shaped young people’s sense of agency, their ability to negotiate condom use, and the […]
The relationship between Nairobi adolescents’ media use and their sexual beliefs and attitudes.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores the importance of recognizing how adolescents’ exposure to media shapes their ideas of what is “normal” sexual behavior among peers and reinforces gender stereotypes. Efforts to address sexual health and reduce risk-taking among youth should include media literacy approaches that help adolescents critically engage with the sexual norms […]
The Relationship Between Parental Mediation of Adolescent Media Use and Ugandan Adolescents’ Sexual Attitudes and Behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that in Uganda, adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behaviors are shaped not only by media content but also by the social context in which media is consumed. Watching media—particularly sexual content—with opposite-sex peers was associated with more permissive attitudes toward casual sex. Parental efforts to limit media exposure, a […]
Stigma as a barrier to family planning use among married youth in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Anticipated stigma—driven by social norms around gender, fertility, and youth behavior—emerges as a significant barrier to family planning (FP) use among married youth in Ethiopia. Community expectations that young brides should prove their fertility, along with fears of judgment from providers, family, and community members, create an environment where seeking FP […]