How Are Gender Norms Perceived?
New working paper from Alexander W. Cappelen and Bertil Tungodden published in NBER! The research sheds light on the importance of understanding actual and perceived gender norms in society, using nationally representative datasets from 60 countries, covering over 80% of the world's population.
Abstract:
This paper provides global evidence on misperceptions of gender norms, drawing on newly collected, nationally representative data from 60 countries. We establish that misperceptions are pervasive across the world. Through a simple conceptual framework, we provide evidence that gender stereotyping and over-weighting of minority views are ubiquitous and appear to account for the global structure of misperceptions. Both actual and perceived support are shown to be associated with relevant economic behaviors, including female employment and actions promoting women’s representation in leadership. Our paper suggests that misperceptions are ubiquitous and may shape gender inequality globally.