Report
7 November 2018

The norms factor: recent research on gender, social norms, and women's economic empowerment

Author: Rachel Marcus
Published by: IDRC
View report
The norms factor cover

This report summarises evidence from IDRC’s Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) programme on social and gender norms, and their impact on women’s economic empowerment. It examines norms around whether, and in what kinds of occupations women should work, and more broadly concerning respectable gendered behaviour, the impact of norms around care responsibilities, and of norms condoning sexual harassment. It highlights nascent changes in norms around women’s work in some contexts and discusses the factors that are contributing to these changes.