5
The Norms of Power and the Power of Norms
s
Figure I.1 World Development Report 2012 Analytical Framework
cie Po li
Informal institutions and social norms
Economic opportunities Households
Markets
Informal institutions and social norms
der equality Gen
Households
Our focus Agency Endowments
Formal institutions
Agency
Gr ow th Source: Adapted from World Bank 2012, 9.
changes in agency are not clear predictors of processes of normative change if the structures of opportunities and constraints are not taken into account. This study deals with these difficulties within the scope allowed by its crosscountry sample and methodology. As presented in more detail later, we provide a foundation for a systematic exploration of agency by looking at the structures of constraint, or the norms that underpin gender inequalities, and the negotiations that surround these norms (part I). We also look at different life choices where changes in the capacity to decide are reflected (part II). And finally, we attempt to offer a more dynamic and complete view of the process and determinants of changes in power and agency, as they are perceived by individuals within their specific community setting (part III). By exploring how gender norms and roles shape women’s (and men’s) agency and empowerment, their decision-making at critical junctures in their lives, their perceived ability to gain power, and their economic opportunities, new entry points for policy design can be found, as well as ways to recraft existing development policies to become more effective and better serve women’s needs. The common patterns we found across countries have important implications for policy design and action.
Methodology of the Study Our study assesses qualitatively the dynamics of gender norms and agency in the construction of gender equality. The research was designed to capture men’s and women’s perspectives and their own accounts of how they experience gender differences in their households and communities. The methodology we chose builds directly on two major global studies at the World Bank, Voices of the Poor (Narayan, Patel, et al. 2000; Narayan, Chambers, et al. 2000; Narayan and Petesch 2002) and Moving Out of Poverty On Norms and Agency • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9862-3