Determinants of young People’s gender norm attitudes related to rights and equity in Southeast Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Young people in Southeast Nigeria simultaneously endorse women’s empowerment and uphold entrenched patriarchal norms—particularly male dominance in household decision-making and social roles. Social norms are shaped through family structures, education, religion, and gender socialization, demonstrating that shifts toward gender equity require addressing broader social systems, not just individual attitudes. Objectives: To […]
Social Norms and Female Labour Force Participation in Bangladesh: The Role of Social Expectations and Reference Networks
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms around women’s employment in Bangladesh are shaped by social expectations within family reference networks, particularly the approval of fathers and husbands. Norms are not fixed; support for female employment changes when people perceive that others approve. Male family members’ attitudes are the most influential social cue, while peers and […]
Association between gender norms and attitudes towards abortion among very young adolescents in Kenya and Nigeria: a quantitative study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms are formed early in adolescence and significantly shape attitudes toward abortion and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Among very young adolescents (VYAs), beliefs related to sexual double standards, normative heterosexual relationships, and romantic expectations influence whether adolescents support or reject abortion. The study highlights that early socialisation into gender […]
Intention to switch from short-acting to long-acting reversible contraceptives among refugee women in Ethiopia: application of the theory of planned behavior
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly perceived expectations and approval from partners, family members, and peers—play a critical role in shaping refugee women’s contraceptive decision-making. The study found that subjective norms were the strongest predictor of women’s intention to switch from short-acting contraceptives (SAC) to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC). This suggests that contraceptive choices in […]
Psychosocial determinants of parents’ intention to support reproductive health education in Ghana
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Parents’ intentions to support reproductive health education (RHE) in Ghana are strongly shaped by social norms, particularly perceptions of whether influential figures such as religious leaders, community leaders, spouses, and peers approve of or support the program. Both descriptive norms (beliefs about whether others support RHE) and injunctive norms (beliefs about […]
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 […]
Tipping Point Project: Report of the baseline study findings from Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This baseline study explicitly measures and analyzes both injunctive and descriptive norms across domains related to adolescent girls’ mobility, marriage, education, and decision-making in rural Bangladesh. The study defines and operationalizes social norms using structured survey items, capturing what respondents believe others expect of them (injunctive norms) and what they believe […]
Findings of an evaluation of community and school-based reproductive health and HIV prevention programs in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study provides strong evidence that addressing perceived social expectations can reduce the acceptability and prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). While the intervention did not explicitly state they were measuring injunctive norms, the survey included items on perceived community approval, religious endorsement, and social pressure—core elements of injunctive norms. The […]