Social Norms and Female Labour Force Participation in Bangladesh: The Role of Social Expectations and Reference Networks
Outcomes: Women’s Economic Empowerment
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways Social norms around women’s employment in Bangladesh are shaped by social expectations within family reference networks, particularly the approval of fathers and husbands. Norms are not fixed; support for female employment changes when people perceive that others approve. Male family members’ attitudes are the most influential social cue, while peers and religious authorities play a smaller role.
Objectives The study investigates how social expectations influence support for young women’s labour force participation in Bangladesh and identifies which actors within women’s social networks most strongly shape these norms, particularly for young women who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET).
Methods The study uses a national phone survey with vignette experiments involving 1,623 respondents, including young women (both working and NEET) and their fathers or husbands. Respondents were presented with randomized hypothetical scenarios about a woman deciding whether to take a job. The vignettes manipulated empirical expectations (others’ behaviour), normative expectations (others’ approval), approval from different actors (father/husband, peers, religious authorities), and job characteristics such as salary and mobility. Outcomes measured respondents’ expectations of male family support and their own beliefs about whether women should work.
Results Social expectations significantly influenced attitudes toward women’s employment. Signals of social approval increased the likelihood that respondents expected fathers or husbands to support employment and slightly increased their own support. Approval from fathers or husbands had the strongest effect, increasing support for women working by about 30 percentage points, while approval from peers or religious leaders had much smaller effects. Economic incentives also mattered: higher wages increased support for women working, but jobs requiring women to leave their village reduced support, suggesting concerns about mobility and traditional gender roles.
Conclusions Gender norms limiting women’s employment in Bangladesh are conditional on social expectations rather than deeply entrenched personal beliefs. Family approval—especially from fathers and husbands—is the key factor shaping support for female labour force participation. Policies that shift social expectations or increase women’s economic opportunities may help reduce normative barriers to employment.
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