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On norms and agency : conversations about gender equality with women and men in 20 countries (English)

Social norms, gender roles, beliefs about one's own capacity, and assets, as well as communities and countries, determine the opportunities available to women and men, and their ability to take advantage of them. World Development Report 2012 shows significant progress in many areas, but gender disparities still persist. Girls' desire for education, which nurtures their aspirations for greater agency, exceeded that of boys in rural and urban communities. Both young women and men wished for more education and better jobs than are common in their communities and strikingly wanted to marry later, bear children later, and have more autonomy in choosing their partners than traditional community norms dictated. The main pathways for women to gain agency are education, employment, and decreased risk of domestic violence. A safer space encourages women to negotiate for more participation and equality in household discussions and decisions. Women's ability to contribute to family finances and control (even partially) major or minor assets helps them gain more voice at home and in public spheres. Women's aspirations and empowerment to break gender barriers occur regardless of dynamic or poor economies, while men have perceived gain in agency, and their identity as breadwinner, largely depends on economic conditions. When only a few women manage to break with established norms, without a critical mass, traditional norms are not contested and may be reinforced. The process of gender norm change thus appears to be uneven and challenging, lagging behind topical conditions. The easy co-existence of new and old norms means that households in the same community can vary markedly in how much agency women can exercise, and women feel less empowered when opinions and values of families and communities stay with traditional norms.

Details

  • Author

    Munoz Boudet, Ana Maria Petesch, Patti Turk, Carolyn Thumala, Maria Angelica

  • Document Date

    2012/01/01

  • Document Type

    Working Paper

  • Report Number

    74191

  • Volume No

    1

  • Total Volume(s)

    1

  • Country

    World,

  • Region

    The World Region,

  • Disclosure Date

    2012/12/06

  • Disclosure Status

    Disclosed

  • Doc Name

    On norms and agency : conversations about gender equality with women and men in 20 countries

  • Keywords

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Citation

Munoz Boudet, Ana Maria;Petesch, Patti;Turk, Carolyn;Thumala, Maria Angelica;

On norms and agency : conversations about gender equality with women and men in 20 countries (English). Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/234151468324057689/On-norms-and-agency-conversations-about-gender-equality-with-women-and-men-in-20-countries

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