Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 105263 |
| Journal | World Development |
| Volume | 138 |
| Early online date | 10 Nov 2020 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
In many regions of the world, significant parts of society are persistently unsupportive of female empowerment. The role of women is often still defined by social norms, rather than legal rights, hampering economic development. Women's empowerment has therefore become a top priority on development agendas, also testified by an increasing number of policy interventions aiming to promote gender equality. To monitor progress in this area we need reliable data on gender attitudes. However, standard self-reported measures of gender attitudes are prone to a wide range of measurement errors and social desirability bias. In this paper we address this problem and use a new field application of the implicit association test (IAT), next to a set of standard survey questions, to measure implicit gender attitudes in Tunisia. Implicit attitudes are considered less susceptible to measurement bias and may serve to more accurately assess gender attitudes. Further, we examine the malleability of implicit gender attitudes using a randomized video intervention illustrating real-life gender reforms in Tunisia, and natural variation in interviewer characteristics with respect to gender and perceived religiosity. Our study finds that the video has no average impact on implicit (IAT-based) attitudes, which is consistent with the idea that in a highly polarized society like Tunisia such an intervention only affects specific groups in a society. We indeed find that the video mitigates the implicit gender bias only among the specific subpopulation of conservative women. We also confirm the presence of interviewer effects. Yet, impacts are more pronounced for explicit attitudes, which may suggest social desirability at work in surveys. We believe that our study may inform policymakers on the potential power of light interventions and helps improve measurements related to gender norms and attitudes.
Keywords
- Implicit Association Test, Interviewer effects, Middle East and North Africa, Women's empowerment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Social Sciences(all)
- Development
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)
- Economics and Econometrics
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: World Development, Vol. 138, 105263, 02.2021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - On the malleability of gender attitudes
T2 - Evidence from implicit and explicit measures in Tunisia
AU - Nillesen, Eleonora
AU - Grimm, Michael
AU - Goedhuys, Micheline
AU - Reitmann, Ann Kristin
AU - Meysonnat, Aline
N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by funds from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland (TAQEEM Initiative). The ILO had no involvement in any stage of this study. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - In many regions of the world, significant parts of society are persistently unsupportive of female empowerment. The role of women is often still defined by social norms, rather than legal rights, hampering economic development. Women's empowerment has therefore become a top priority on development agendas, also testified by an increasing number of policy interventions aiming to promote gender equality. To monitor progress in this area we need reliable data on gender attitudes. However, standard self-reported measures of gender attitudes are prone to a wide range of measurement errors and social desirability bias. In this paper we address this problem and use a new field application of the implicit association test (IAT), next to a set of standard survey questions, to measure implicit gender attitudes in Tunisia. Implicit attitudes are considered less susceptible to measurement bias and may serve to more accurately assess gender attitudes. Further, we examine the malleability of implicit gender attitudes using a randomized video intervention illustrating real-life gender reforms in Tunisia, and natural variation in interviewer characteristics with respect to gender and perceived religiosity. Our study finds that the video has no average impact on implicit (IAT-based) attitudes, which is consistent with the idea that in a highly polarized society like Tunisia such an intervention only affects specific groups in a society. We indeed find that the video mitigates the implicit gender bias only among the specific subpopulation of conservative women. We also confirm the presence of interviewer effects. Yet, impacts are more pronounced for explicit attitudes, which may suggest social desirability at work in surveys. We believe that our study may inform policymakers on the potential power of light interventions and helps improve measurements related to gender norms and attitudes.
AB - In many regions of the world, significant parts of society are persistently unsupportive of female empowerment. The role of women is often still defined by social norms, rather than legal rights, hampering economic development. Women's empowerment has therefore become a top priority on development agendas, also testified by an increasing number of policy interventions aiming to promote gender equality. To monitor progress in this area we need reliable data on gender attitudes. However, standard self-reported measures of gender attitudes are prone to a wide range of measurement errors and social desirability bias. In this paper we address this problem and use a new field application of the implicit association test (IAT), next to a set of standard survey questions, to measure implicit gender attitudes in Tunisia. Implicit attitudes are considered less susceptible to measurement bias and may serve to more accurately assess gender attitudes. Further, we examine the malleability of implicit gender attitudes using a randomized video intervention illustrating real-life gender reforms in Tunisia, and natural variation in interviewer characteristics with respect to gender and perceived religiosity. Our study finds that the video has no average impact on implicit (IAT-based) attitudes, which is consistent with the idea that in a highly polarized society like Tunisia such an intervention only affects specific groups in a society. We indeed find that the video mitigates the implicit gender bias only among the specific subpopulation of conservative women. We also confirm the presence of interviewer effects. Yet, impacts are more pronounced for explicit attitudes, which may suggest social desirability at work in surveys. We believe that our study may inform policymakers on the potential power of light interventions and helps improve measurements related to gender norms and attitudes.
KW - Implicit Association Test
KW - Interviewer effects
KW - Middle East and North Africa
KW - Women's empowerment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096180397&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105263
DO - 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105263
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85096180397
VL - 138
JO - World Development
JF - World Development
SN - 0305-750X
M1 - 105263
ER -