Daily Times

Are social norms and power imbalances shifting? Gender inequality has long been associated with persistent discriminatory social norms prescribing social roles and power relations between men and women in society.Social norms held by individuals and their reference groups are values, beliefs, attitudes and practices that assert preferred power dynamics for interactions between individuals and institutions.As broader constructs, norms are operationalized through beliefs, attitudes and practices.

People’s expectations of individuals’ roles in households, communities, workplaces and societies can determine a group’s functioning. Women often face strong conventional societal expectations to be caregivers and homemakers; men are expected to be breadwinners.Embedded in these social norms are longstanding patterns of exclusion from household and community decision making that limit women’s opportunities and choices. So, despite convergence on some outcome indicators-such as access to education at all levels and access to health care-women and girls in many countries still cannot reach their full potential.

Beliefs about what others do and what others think a person in some reference group should do, maintained by social approval and disapproval, often guide actions in social settings.So it is useful to measure the beliefs and attitudes that create biases and prejudices towards women’s empowerment in society.

Social norms cover several aspects of an individual’s identity-age, gender, ability, ethnicity, religion and so on-that are heterogeneous and multidimensional. Discriminatory social norms and stereotypes reinforce gendered identities and determine power relations that constrain women’s and men’s behavior in ways that lead to inequality. Norms influence expectations for masculine and feminine behavior considered socially acceptable or looked down on. So they directly affect individuals’ choices, freedoms and capabilities.

Though men usually have more agency than the women in their lives, men’s decisions and behaviors are also profoundly shaped by rigid social and cultural expectations related to masculinity

It leads to the question as how can practices and behaviors either change or sustain traditional gender roles. Norms can change as economies develop, with changes in communications technology, with new laws, policies or programs, with social and political activism and with exposure to new ideas and practices through formal and informal channels (education, role models and media).

Policymakers often focus on the tangible-on laws, policies, spending commitments, public statements and so on. This is driven partly by the desire to measure impact and by sheer impatience with the slow pace of change. Yet neglecting the invisible power of norms would miss a deeper understanding of social change.

Consider the subtle differences between descriptive and injunctive norms. Descriptive norms are beliefs about what is considered a normal practice in a social group or an area. Injunctive norms state what people in a community should do. This distinction is important for practice, as it can lead to an understanding of why some aspects of gender norms and relations shift faster than others.

The family sets norms, and experiences from childhood create an unconscious gender bias.Parents’ attitudes towards gender influence children through mid-adolescence and children at school perceive gender roles.Parenting practices and behaviors are thus among the predictors of an individual’s gendered behaviors and expectations. For instance, children tend to mimic (in attitudes and actions) how their parents share paid and unpaid work.

Adolescence is another key stage for gender socialization, particularly for boys.Gender is a social construct of attributes or roles associated with being male or female. What it means to be a man or a woman is learned and internalized based on experiences and messages over the course of a lifetime, normalized through social structures, culture and interactions. Young adolescents in different cultural settings commonly endorse norms that perpetuate gender inequalities, and parents and peers are central in shaping such attitudes. Though men usually have more agency than the women in their lives, men’s decisions and behaviors are also profoundly shaped by rigid social and cultural expectations related to masculinity.Some of the endorsed masculinity norms relate to physical toughness (showing higher tolerance for pain, engaging in fights, competing in sports), autonomy (being financially independent, protecting and providing for families), and emotional stoicism (not “acting like girls” or showing vulnerabilities, dealing with problems on their own).

Social convention refers to how compliance with gender social norms is internalized in indi-vidual values reinforced by rewards or sanctions. Rewards use social or psychological approvals, while sanctions can range from exclusion from the community to violence or legal action. Stigma can limit what is considered normal or acceptable and be used to enforce stereotypes and social norms about appropriate behaviors. A social norm will be stickiest when individuals have the most to gain from complying with it and the most to lose from challenging it. Social norms have enough power to keep women from claiming their legal rights due to pressure to conform to societal expectations.

Social norms can also prevail when individuals lack the information or knowledge to act or think differently. Because of intertwined social dynamics, challenging discriminatory norms that impede gender equality and women’s empowerment requires acting on more than one factor at a time.

(To be concluded)

Saud Bin Ahsen is an old Ravian, can be reached at saudzafar5@gmil.com