* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
By Anne Hamilton
NEW YORK (TrustLaw) – Violence against women can often be an unintended consequence of efforts to strengthen gender equality, according to new data from The World Bank.
As women are empowered and the provider role in families becomes less definite, men, at least initially, may assert their dominance and act out their frustrations with violence, according to information published by The World Bank in its new book, On Norms and Agency: Conversations about Gender Equality with Women and Men in 20 Countries.
Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the study provides the largest amount of qualitative data on gender inequality to date.
At a recent launch event for the book in New York, the discussion focused on why masculinity can be a barrier to changing gender inequality and how violence against women is often an outcome of changing societal norms.
The group most opposed to changing the norms of gender inequality is comprised of rural men, the majority of whom believe that women should not have equal rights, according to the World Bank study.
Nearly a third, or 31 percent, of women’s rights groups in the study thought domestic violence was a regular or frequent occurrence in their communities.
For example, the men of Hung Yen District in Vietnam, said, “local women are supposed to meet four attributes of an ideal woman: industry, appearance, respectful speech, and proper behavior. Therefore, it is not good for wives or mothers to have much freedom.” They cautioned against a woman gaining too much power and freedom because “you can kill yourself.”
Naila Kabeer, a professor of development studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), told the story of a wife in Bangladesh who tasted a meal while she was cooking it for her husband. He was so furious that she dared to take a bite before he had eaten that he burned a hole in her cheek with a hot metal spike.
Changing gender norms is like turning a light on using a dimmer switch. The process is slow and the outcomes disparate, but sometimes gradual relaxation of norms provides a safer route for those threatened by domestic abuse, the study found.
The drivers of change in gender equality are market strength and jobs, education, individual motivation and courage, family support and social organizations. A window has opened up across these 20 countries for women to aspire to a different life, with more education and a greater voice in important decisions.
Whether these aspirations materialise depends on the structure of opportunities and availability of support and resources, but the mere existence of such dreams will continue driving women forward to achieve them.
Anne Hamilton is communications manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation in New York.
