Session 8:Assessing Changes in Social

Norms

Girls Not Brides Workshopon the Theory of Change and Measuring Impact

Why social norms?

• Growing focus on normative change

“Notes from the field”CARE’s TESFA project

Endayehu was married against her will at age 12. Despite a rocky beginning to her marriage, she now has four daughters and seriously considered getting them married as children to “maintain a good image” for her family. Marrying daughters young is “simply how a respectable family behaves.”

Why social norms?

• Social norms are embedded in GNB’s TOC• Families and communities prefer not to

marry girls as children.• Families, communities and young

people value alternative options to child marriage.

• Families engage less in exchange of dowry and bride price.

How to measure social norms?

• Brainstorming• What measures do you use?• What challenges have you

encountered?• Any feedback on the norms indicators?

How to measure social norms?

• Brainstorming• What measures do you use?• What challenges have you

encountered?• Any feedback on the norms indicators?

• What do we mean by “social norms”?• Some helpful definitions

What do we mean by “social

norms”?

Prescriptive norms

What we think most people think should be done.

What do we mean by “social

norms”?

Descriptive normsWhat we think most people are actually doing.

What do we mean by “social

norms”?

Personal normsWhat we think we should do or should be done.

Why are these definitions helpful?

• Can help us figure out how to measure normative change• Helps us know what we’re looking

for – what kinds of changes represent normative change

• Clarifies how norms might influence behavior

“Notes from the field”CARE’s TESFA project

Endayehu was married against her will at age 12. Despite a rocky beginning to her marriage, she now has four daughters and seriously considered getting them married as children to “maintain a good image” for her family. Marrying daughters young is “simply how a respectable family behaves.”

Why are these definitions helpful?

The “image” that society expects of

us:perceived

prescriptive and descriptive norms

A few examples of indicators

Prescriptive norms

Percentage of individuals who think that people in their community disapprove of child marriage.

A few examples of indicators

Descriptive norms

Percentage of individuals who think that child marriage is uncommon in their community.

A few examples of indicators

Personal norms

Percentage of individuals in the target population who support ending child marriage.

Brainstorming

• Which types of norms do you focus on?• Are these definitions helpful? Are the

indicators meaningful and measurable?• What challenges do you see in

measuring normative change?• How do you measure normative change?• Beyond surveys – any suggestions for

other ways to capture normative change?