USAID Women’s Economic Empowerment Evidence Deep Dive Discussions

Existing approaches to shift social norms include integrating norms-transformative strategies into activity designs, conducting context-specific assessments to identify facilitating or constraining factors, and engaging men and boys in examining gender norms. Household methodologies, reference groups and diffusion, platforms for collective learning and action, information and media, and workplace and employer social norms are focus areas for shifting social norms. However, gaps exist in analyzing how norms affect different social groups at different stages of life and in rural versus urban areas. Norms are not well-defined nor measured, hampering diagnostics, measurement, monitoring, and evaluation. Limited data and information about normative shifts to support women's economic power and gender equality remain a challenge. Understanding the "right-size" scope and scale for targeted norms change interventions is also limited. Diffusion, or how norms spread and shift over time and to different people and places, is not well understood. Few programs draw on social norms theory to identify different kinds of norms and measure the strength of those norms as it pertains to women's economic activities. Recommendations for shifting social norms include integrating norms-transformative strategies into all activity designs and implementation, conducting context-specific assessments, engaging men and boys in examining gender norms, and using qualitative surveys to identify, measure, monitor, and evaluate changes. Supporting research to assess "right-sized" approaches and facilitating normative shifts with well-informed messaging are also recommended. Additionally, investing in longitudinal analyses to gauge sustained impact and increasing the evidence of what works to sustain change is crucial. The discussion also focused on governmental policies, laws, and regulations as well as internal organizational and business policies. Existing approaches to build capacity to develop, reform, implement, and enforce these policies include capacity building, training, and technical assistance. Focus areas include family law, land rights, labor force participation, fiscal policy, and organizational and business policies. However, challenges exist in developing and implementing policies that support women's economic power and gender equality.