Key Social Norms Take-aways Social norms around male dominance, female obedience, and marital permanence remain powerful drivers of IPV. Progress in women’s rights must be matched by efforts to transform these norms—especially among men and boys—if violence is to decline sustainably. Programming should engage whole communities, address backlash, and support women as they navigate shifting but still restrictive social landscapes.

Objectives This study explores the persistent prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh despite a robust legal framework and increased women’s access to education, employment, and support services. It investigates how entrenched social norms and changing gender dynamics influence patterns of IPV, including emerging forms of backlash.

Methods The research draws on qualitative data collected in 2016 from Gazipur, Mymensingh, and Dhaka, using 40 key informant interviews, 21 in-depth interviews with IPV survivors and married men, 11 focus group discussions, and 7 intergenerational trios. Participants were purposively sampled, and data were thematically analyzed using MAXQDA to explore social, relational, and cultural dimensions of IPV.

Results Findings reveal a complex and often contradictory landscape: while women’s economic participation and legal rights have expanded, IPV remains prevalent and is in some cases intensifying and taking on new forms. Increased awareness and empowerment may provoke backlash from men who perceive these shifts as threats to traditional male authority. This can manifest in emotional, psychological, or cyber violence, especially where women challenge norms related to obedience, mobility, or employment. Although many women now contribute to household income or initiate divorce, social stigma, economic dependency, and community disapproval often limit their ability to act on these rights. Norms that equate male control with masculinity and female loyalty with virtue persist, leaving women to navigate empowerment under the shadow of potential violence and social exclusion.

Conclusions The study challenges the assumption that legal reforms or economic empowerment alone will reduce IPV. Instead, it shows that progress on gender equality may lead to a “rough transition” period where empowered women are seen as transgressive, prompting backlash rooted in gendered expectations. These dynamics underscore the resilience of patriarchal norms and the need to address not only structural barriers but also the deep cultural scripts that govern gender roles. Even among educated and progressive individuals, norms upholding male dominance continue to constrain meaningful change.