On Norms and Agency

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.Our study covered 20 countries in all world regions, where over 4,000 women and men, in remote and traditional villages and dense urban neighborhoods, in more than 500 focus groups, discussed the effects of gender differences and inequalities on their lives. Despite diverse social and cultural settings, traits and expectations of the ideal ?good? woman and ?good? man were remarkably similar across all sample urban and rural communities. Participants acknowledged that women are actively seeking equal power and freedom, but must constantly negotiate and resist traditional expectations about what they are to do and who they are to be. When women achieve the freedom to work for pay or get more education, they must still accommodate their gains to these expectations, especially on household responsibilities...