Norms Lab

Norms Lab
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Sharing insights and ideas for normative shift and development impact...

  1. When Care Hides Harm: Questioning The Norms Behind Girls’ Domestic Work | Norms Lab Podcast Episode 26

    May 8

    When Care Hides Harm: Questioning The Norms Behind Girls’ Domestic Work | Norms Lab Podcast Episode 26

    When a girl is sent from her village to the city, the arrangement often arrives through someone trusted, an auntie, a grandmother, a neighbour who knows a family in Lagos. Her parents say “Nagode, Allah”, thank you, God and try to believe that school, safety and a better life are waiting on the other end of the journey. But for many girls, that hope quietly rearranges itself. She wakes before everyone and sleeps after everyone.  School becomes “soon”, then “later”, then nothing at all. And when she asks why, she’s told be grateful for the roof over her head. Because this happens within families, it is rarely called harm. It is called help, assistance, or care. In this episode of The Norms Lab Podcast, Anjola Ayodele sits with Masturah Baba to unpack a practice woven so deeply into Nigerian household life that most of us grew up alongside it without naming what we were seeing. The conversation moves through: Why families agree to these arrangements and what they are really being promised How the promise of education becomes a pathway into full time labour Why girls often remain silent, and why the adults around them hesitate to intervene What agency looks like for a girl living inside someone else’s home What prevention, accountability, and real care look like in practice Help can become harm when it hardens into a norm we stop questioning. This is a conversation about seeing clearly, before another girl boards another bus. 🎧 Watch on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/mzg-nLrzZv8

    25 min
  2. When Care Becomes Complicated: Gender, Norms, and Immunization Dropout in Nigeria | Norms Lab Podcast Episode 25

    Mar 25

    When Care Becomes Complicated: Gender, Norms, and Immunization Dropout in Nigeria | Norms Lab Podcast Episode 25

    3 million Nigerian children begin their vaccination journey every year. Many don’t finish it. Most of the dropouts happens at the 9-month mark, right when the measles vaccine is due. In this episode of The Norms Lab Podcast, Anjola Ayodele sits with public health researchers Ernest Ezeogu and Mary Kuforiji to explore why children and crucially, what’s already working to change it.  This isn’t a conversation about mothers who don’t care. It’s about a mother who trekked kilometres under the sun, only to be told the vaccine was out of stock. A mother who had to lie to her husband to vaccinate her own child. And a community where husbands started riding their wives to the clinic and everything changed.  In this episode, we explore: Why the 6-month gap between the 14-week and 9-month vaccines is where children fall through the cracks How caregiving norms, household authority, and “let peace reign” culture shape who gets vaccinated What happened when vaccines were brought to places of worship How mothers who served as peer researchers became change-makers Immunization dropout is not a parenting failure. It’s a systems and norms challenge, and the people closest to the problem are already designing the solutions. ttps://youtu.be/40m8rxltJAI

    37 min
  3. Nigeria’s New Education Curriculum: How Gender Shapes Skills Choices in Nigerian Schools | Norms Lab Podcast Epsiode 24

    Feb 19

    Nigeria’s New Education Curriculum: How Gender Shapes Skills Choices in Nigerian Schools | Norms Lab Podcast Epsiode 24

    Nigeria’s new Basic Education Curriculum now requires every student to graduate with at least one practical or trade-related skill, a significant step toward expanding learning pathways and economic opportunity for students across the country. As this reform takes root, one important question emerges: when girls choose a skill, what shapes how free that choice really feels, especially when it goes against social expectations? In many Nigerian schools: - Some skills quietly feel “appropriate” for girls - Others are seen astoo masculine or out of place - Parents, teachers, and unspoken social norms shape decisions before a girl even speaks. In this episode of The Norms Lab Podcast, Anjola Ayodele speaks with educationist and Safe Schools expert Blessing Tarfa Mam about: - What this curriculum reform is working to achieve - How gender norms shape students’ realities inside classrooms - What it would actually take for skills education to expand agency for girls - What gives Blessing hope that things are changing. Join us as we reimagine what the freedom of choice truly means amongst gender-biased social norms, as the new education curriculum is implemented. #GenderAndEducation #NormsLabPodcast #educationreform #gendernorms #socialnorms #UBEC #NewEducationCurriculum #nigeria #NigerianSchools #nigerianstudents #education

    35 min

  4. 10/28/2025

    Why Self-Medication Feels Normal and How We Can Change It | Norms Lab Podcast Episode 23

    When most Nigerians fall sick, their first stop isn’t the clinic, it’s the chemist, a neighbour, or a home remedy. It feels normal, even responsible. But this “normal” comes with serious consequences.In 2021 alone, over 50,000 Nigerians died directly from drug resistance, and 47% of adults self-medicated with antibiotics without prescriptions. Behind these numbers are invisible forces, social norms that shape how we make health decisions: “Everyone I know goes to the chemist first.”“My family expects me to try herbs before going to the clinic.”“PHCs don’t have drugs, so I’d rather ask my neighbour or pastor.” This episode dives deep into how these norms influence trust, delay care, and endanger lives, and how communities can rewrite these habits to make safe choices the normal ones.Join the conversation to learn practical ways we can all shift harmful norms for better health outcomes.🎧 Listen to Episode 23 now: “Norms & Health-Seeking Behaviour.”Let’s challenge the habits that put our health at risk, and rebuild trust in our health system, one conversation at a time.

    21 min

  5. 09/25/2025

    GS-25 Fireside Chat: Shifting Norms, Saving Lives: The Equity Model for Impactful Change

    In collaboration with Sustaining Action for Gender Equality (SAGE), we partnered with Policy Innovation Centre for a fireside chat session at the Gender Inclusion Summit, 2025.Dr. Raihanah Ibrahim (SCIDaR) led the conversation, urging institutions to go beyond just awareness and design systems that actually create space for women. Through the SAGE program, SCIDaR is showing how practical changes like mentorship, childcare support, board parity, and flexible policies can create the kind of environments that foster real change.Dorothy Njemanze of (DNF) reminded everyone that equity conversations must be rooted in the lived experiences of women, especially those who’ve survived gender-based violence. Also, Tola Sunmonu-Balogun (McKinsey & Company) spoke about the barriers women face in health systems due to social norms and institutional biases. This discourse proves that gender-intentional programming isn’t optional—it’s the equity model for sustainable impact. Changing social norms takes time, but with empathy, leadership commitment, and survivor-centered systems, we can reshape the future for good.Relive the experience here.#SocialNorms #PIC #PolicyInnovation #PolicyInnovationCentre #Gender #GenderEquity #GIS #GS25 #GenderandInclusionSummit #GenderandInclusionSummit2025 #SNALC #SAGE #SCIDaR #Norms #FaithLeaders #Entertainment

    37 min

  6. 09/10/2025

    Pre GS Summit 25 - Influencing Norms, Inspiring Change: The Role of Entertainers and Faith Leaders

    How do we shift the norms shaping Nigeria’s future? In collaboration with Sustaining Action for Gender Equality (SAGE), we partnered with Policy Innovation Centre for a webinar which was a build up to the Gender Inclusion Summit, 2025. From television and digital media to pulpits, mosques, and community gatherings, storytellers and spiritual leaders remain central in shaping what is possible and permissible in society. This conversation, themed “Influencing Norms, Inspiring Change: The Role of Entertainers and Faith Leaders”, brought together thought leaders to explore one of the most critical levers for change: the voices that shape everyday life. Join us in reliving the experience.

    1 hr

  7. 06/25/2025

    Shifting social norms in Nigeria: What Faith Leaders and Entertainment Media are teaching us

    🎙 What does it really take to shift harmful social norms in Nigeria? In this episode of Norms Lab, we explore how trusted faith leaders, cultural champions, and entertainment media are helping reimagine gender, power, and identity in Nigerian communities. Join Anjola Ayodele in conversation with: Haishat Olufadi-Ahmed, public health expert and lead researcher; and Oluwafunmilayo Raheem, social norms strategist. Together, we break down findings from a deep dive on interventions like MTV Shuga

    27 min

  8. 11/01/2024

    The 2024 Social Norms Conference

    Discover how the 2024 Social Norms Conference transcends traditional research, driving actionable solutions for today’s critical issues—from women’s agency and climate resilience to family dynamics and digital innovation. Whether you’re a social innovator, change-maker, or simply passionate about building a better future, tune in to learn why this conference is essential for anyone invested in social transformation—and why you won’t want to miss it!

    27 min
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About

Sharing insights and ideas for normative shift and development impact...

Information

  • Creator
    Norms Lab
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Norms Lab
  • Show Website
    Norms Lab