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 […]
Engaging boys as “Structured Allies” to prevent gender-based violence against girls: Results from the CARE Tipping Point Initiative in Nepal
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study underscores that harmful gender norms—particularly those that normalize male dominance, tolerate sexual harassment, and restrict girls’ agency—are key drivers of sexual bullying and gender harassment (SBGH) in Nepal. Transforming these norms requires engaging boys not just as individuals but as “structured allies” within communities to shift both injunctive norms […]
A longitudinal study examining how self-injection social norms are associated with contraceptive self-injectable interest and use in rural Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms specific to contraceptive self-injection play a measurable and influential role in shaping both women’s interest in and actual uptake of self-injectable contraception. Importantly, it shows that beyond awareness and access, supportive descriptive and injunctive norms are critical for enabling women to act on their preferences. […]
Post-intervention gendered impacts and moderating factors of a government cash plus intervention for adolescents in Tanzania.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms play a critical moderating role in shaping the effectiveness of multisectoral “cash plus” interventions for adolescents. While the intervention aimed to improve livelihoods, health, and empowerment outcomes, entrenched gender norms—particularly around contraception, relationships, and service use—limited sustained behavior change. Norms influenced both access to and uptake of services, and […]
Exploring the youth perceptions of factors contributing to victims’ silence during the armed conflict in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—including stigma, normalization of violence, and expectations around silence—play a central role in sustaining underreporting of violence in conflict settings. The study highlights that violence becomes socially tolerated during armed conflict, and norms around shame, fear, and bystander inaction reinforce a culture of silence. These norms are not only individual […]
Marital control, domestic violence justification, and mental health: a study of married women in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that social norms—particularly the justification and normalization of domestic violence and patriarchal control—are deeply embedded drivers of women’s mental health outcomes in Bangladesh. Norms that legitimize male authority and accept wife-beating under specific circumstances contribute to the internalization of abuse, reinforcing gender inequality and limiting women’s autonomy. The […]
Does going against the norm on women’s economic participation increase intimate partner violence risk? A cross-sectional, multi-national study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those governing women’s economic participation and gendered expectations around male provision—critically shape the relationship between women’s economic empowerment (WEE) and intimate partner violence (IPV). The discussion highlights that when women’s economic behaviors deviate from what is normative in their community (“vanguard” behavior), they may face increased risk of IPV […]
Intervention-amenable factors associated with lack of HPV vaccination in Kenya: Results from a large national phone survey.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly perceptions of what other parents are doing (descriptive norms) and the extent of social interaction around vaccination—play a critical role in HPV vaccine uptake. The study highlights that when caregivers believe that other parents are vaccinating their daughters, and when they engage in conversations about vaccination within their social […]
Assessing the application of adapted theory of planned behaviour in predicting postpartum family planning intentions in a pragmatic randomized control trial in Western Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—captured as perceived normative beliefs and partner/community expectations—are a central driver of postpartum family planning (PPFP) intentions. The study shows that women are more likely to intend to use PPFP when they perceive approval and support from significant others (e.g., partners, family, providers). Normative beliefs operate alongside attitudes and perceived […]
Validating measurement of social norms for entertainment-education: a five-factor model
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms are multi-dimensional constructs that must be measured across distinct but related domains—descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and outcome expectations—to fully capture how they influence behavior. The study underscores that norms are not a single unified concept but operate through different pathways, including perceptions of what others do, what others approve […]