Theoretical and Empirical Relationship between Gender inequality and Social norms (A Comparative-Quantitative Study in Developing Countries, 1980-2019)

Subject Areas : Quarterly Journal of Woman and Society

Niloofar Saghabashi Naeni ¹

1 - Ph.D. student of sociology, Department of social sciences, Faculty of Literature and human sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2023-05-06 Accepted : 2024-01-29 Published : 2024-01-21

Keywords: Gender Inequality, Social Norms, Diffusive Violence, Tyranny of Merit, Legitimization of Inequality,

Abstract :

Introduction: The interconnectedness between gender inequalities, which constitute a type of external inequality, and social norms engenders a mutually influential cause-and-effect relationship, whereby the inherent features and mechanisms of each factor can either impede or intensify the detrimental consequences of the other. Consequently, subsequent to identifying the mechanisms that govern the reciprocal association between social norms and gender inequalities, this research endeavored to validate them through empirical investigation.
Materials and Methods: The current investigation employs the comparative-longitudinal approach and utilizes secondary data obtained from 100 developing nations across the globe between 1980 and 2019. The research duration was compartmentalized into two distinct time intervals, namely 1980-1999 and 2000-2019. The multivariate regression method was employed for the purpose of data analysis.
Results: The findings of the study indicate that gender inequality exerts a diminishing impact on individuals' adherence to and application of established social norms, both directly and indirectly through its influence on the incidence of difussive violence. Conversely, social norms exert a diminishing influence on gender inequality. However, they simultaneously endorse and legitimize gender inequality through the "tyranny of merit" ideology and the naturalization of gender-based disparities via particularistic biases.
Conclusion: The findings of this study allow for the assertion that reciprocal interactions exist between social norms and social inequalities, with their manifestation being contingent upon the respective conditions and fundamental attributes of each, as well as their degree of prevalence within a given societal context.

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