The Power of Social Norms in Supporting Family Planning (ICFP 2025 Event)

The Power of Social Norms in Supporting Family Planning: Building Evidence and Promoting Advocacy

Social norms—the unwritten rules that shape behavior—play a critical role in people’s ability to set and achieve their reproductive goals. Yet evidence on how shifting norms works, for whom, and under what conditions is still limited, and misconceptions about intervention duration, strategies, effectiveness, and ethics have slowed investment.

This workshop, hosted by the Center on Gender Equity and Health at UC San Diego and the Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaboratives, will showcase new resources—including a global evidence review, country deep dives (Nigeria, Kenya, India), and an online resource repository—to inform stronger program design, research, evaluation, and advocacy to put social norms at the forefront of policy and investment decisions.

Through presentations, interactive dialogue, and groupwork, participants will share experiences, gain insights on what’s working, and connect with others working to harness the power of social norms to advance reproductive health.