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Title: | Social Norms and Gender Disparities with a Focus on Female Labor Force Participation in South Asia |
Authors: | Bussolo, M Ezebuihe, JA Muñoz Boudet, AM Poupakis, S Rahman, T Sarma, N |
Keywords: | J16 - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination;J21 - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure;O15 - Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration |
Issue Date: | 23-Sep-2023 |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP) on behalf of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank |
Citation: | Bussolo, M. et al. (2024) 'Social Norms and Gender Disparities with a Focus on Female Labor Force Participation in South Asia', The World Bank Research Observer, 31 (1), pp. 124 - 158. doi: 10.1093/wbro/lkad010. |
Abstract: | Despite decades of economic growth, gender disparities in South Asia remain remarkably high. Although not the only one, social norms are a crucial driver of various gender outcomes, including differential economic participation. Using repeated cross-sectional data from nationally representative surveys, this study explores long-term trends across gender outcomes and social norms (contrasting attitudes and social normative expectations towards gender roles) in South Asia. The results corroborate the evidence that there has been almost no progress in gender disparities in South Asia over the past half-century. There has been little progress in female labor force participation, age at first birth, agency, and intimate partner violence, while (basic) education is an important exception. The lack of progress is apparent among all layers of society, including women who live in urban areas, are educated, and have higher incomes. Gender attitudes also remain unchanged, while for some issues, they have become more conservative and have a negative relationship with gender outcomes. This negative relationship is even stronger when social normative expectations are considered. More data on social norms and a better understanding of their constraining role may be critical for achieving gender equality in the region. |
Description: | International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. Supplementary data are available online at https://academic.oup.com/wbro/advance-article/doi/10.1093/wbro/lkad010/7281167#supplementary-data . |
URI: | https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/27371 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkad010 |
ISSN: | 0257-3032 |
Other Identifiers: | ORCID iD: Stavros Poupakis https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2688-5404. |
Appears in Collections: | Dept of Economics and Finance Embargoed Research Papers |
Files in This Item:
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FullText.pdf | Embargoed until 23 March 2025 | 2.9 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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