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The 9th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Social Norms and Gender Equality

May 11-12, 2022

Virtual

South Asia Economic Policy Network Expert Panel

The Office of the Chief Economist for the South Asia Region is pleased to announce the 9th South Asia Economic Policy Network conference on Social Norms and Gender Equality. 

Social norms can be a key obstacle to achieving gender equality across many domains. This is well-known but the channels through which social norms influence gender disparities have not been systematically explored. In South Asia, despite decades of rapid economic growth, rising education, and declining fertility, women continue to face greater disadvantages in accessing economic opportunities than in most of the developing world. This conference hosts innovative papers that consider how social norms can be measured and how their impact on gender outcomes can be assessed. 

This event is part of the World Bank Group’s yearlong Gender Equality and Development +10: Accelerate Equality initiative.

  • Watch the replays of our two days virtual sessions featuring academic paper presentations & discussions, a keynote lecture, an expert panel discussion and a short presentation on the main findings of the South Asia Economic Focus 2022: Reshaping Social Norms about Gender: A New Way Forward. 

    You can watch all the conference replays by clicking on buttons below. 

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  • DAY 1 | Wednesday, May 11, 2022
    7:00-10:00 AM (EDT)

    Moderator | Ana Maria Boudet, Senior Social Scientist, Poverty and Equity Global Practice, World Bank 

    OPENING REMARKS              

    7:00-7:10 AM

    Speaker | Hans Timmer, Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank

    SESSION 1 | Social Norms and Women’s Engagement in Economic Activities

    7:10-7:20 AM

     

     

    7:20-7:30 AM

     

     

     

    7:30-7:40 AM

     

     

     

    7:40-7:50 AM

     

     

     

     

     

    7:50-8:00 AM

    Labor Market Response to Gendered Breadwinner Norms: Evidence from India

    Sakshi Gupta, Columbia University | Presentation

     

    The Role of Mothers-in-Law in Determining Women’s Work: Evidence from India

    Divya Pandey & Madhulika Khanna, Inclusion Economics India, KREA University  | Presentation

     

    Women’s Work, Social Norms and the Marriage Market

    Kanika Mahajan, Ashoka University, Farzana Afridi, ISI Delhi, Abhishek Arora, World Bank & Diva Dhar, University of Oxford  | Presentation

     

    Social Norms and Female Labor Force Participation in Bangladesh: The Role of Social Expectations and Reference Networks

    Kumar Biswas, World Bank, Shwetlena Sabarwal, World Bank, Luna Bellani, University of Konstanz, Sebastian Fehrler, University of Bremen, Paul Marx, University of Duisburg-Essen & Syed Rashed Al-Zayed Josh, World Bank  | Presentation

     

    ‘Til Dowry Do Us Part: Bargaining and Violence in Indian Families

    Rossella Calvi & Ajinkya Keskar, Rice University  | Presentation

    SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION  

    8:00-8:10 AM

     

     

    8:10-8:30  AM

     

    8:30-8:40AM

    Discussant | S Anukriti, Economist, Development Research Group, World Bank  | Presentation

     

    Q&A

     

    Short break

    KEYNOTE LECTURE

    8:40-9:25 AM

     

    9:25-9:55 AM

     

    9:55-10:00 AM

    Speaker | Rohini Pande, Professor of Economics, Yale University

     

    Q&A                                        

     

    Closing for the day

    DAY 2 | Thursday, May 12, 2022
    7:00-9:30 AM (EDT)

    Moderator | Ana Maria Boudet, Senior Social Scientist, Poverty and Equity Global Practice, World Bank 

    SESSION 2 | Measuring Social Norms

    7:00-7:10 AM

     

     

     

    7:10-7:20 AM  

     

     

     

     

    7:20-7:30 AM

     

     

     

     

     

    7:30-7:40 AM  

    Transmitting Rights

    Shaheen Rana, Lahore School of Economics, Sultan Mehmood, New Economic School & Daniel L. Chen, Toulouse School of Economics | Presentation

     

    Are Gender Norms Systematic to Caste Institutions? Examining Preferences Through a Social Experiment in North Indian Villages

    Aparajita Dasgupta, Ashoka University & Ashokankur Datta, Shiv Nadar University | Presentation

     

    Adapting and Validating The G-NORM (Gender Norms Scale), In Nepal: An Examination of How Gender Norms are Associated with Agency and Reproductive Health Outcomes

    Erica Sedlander, Rachel Granovsky & Nadia Diamond-Smith, University of California, San Francisco, Minakshi Dahal & Mahesh Puri Center for Research on Environment, Health & Population Activities, Jeffrey Bart Bingenheimer, George Washington University & Rajiv Rimal, Johns Hopkins University | Presentation

     

    Women in the Workforce in Peshawar

    Giulia Mancini, University of Rome & Maria Beatriz Orlando, World Bank | Presentation

    SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION  

    7:40-7:50 AM

     

    7:50-8:10 AM

     

    8:10-8:20 AM

     

    8:20-9:30AM

    Discussant | Isis Gaddis, Senior Economist, South Asia Gender Innovation Lab, World Bank | Presentation

     

    Q&A

                                                   

    Short break – Transition to Livestream

     

    Expert Panel Discussion

    EXPERT PANEL

                         

    Moderator | Hans Timmer, Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank

     

    Introduction to the discussion: “Reshaping Social Norms about Gender: A New Way Forward”   

    A summary of the main findings of the South Asia Economic Focus 2022

    Presenter | Maurizio Bussolo, Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank | Presentation

     

    Panelists |

    • Sania Nishtar, Senator & former Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to the Prime Minister of Pakistan
    • Sonalde Desai, Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research
    • Rubana Huq, Vice Chancellor of the Asian University for Women
  • White male wearing blue suit and tie, grey hair, bald

    Hans Timmer

    CHIEF ECONOMIST, SOUTH ASIA region, WORLD BANK
    White male with dark hair, wearing black suite, white blouse and red tie

    Maurizio Bussolo

    Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank
    White female with black long wavy hair

    Ana Maria Munoz Boudet

    Senior Social Scientist, World Bank
    Indian female with short dark hair and wearing Indian custom

    S Anukriti

    Research Economist, World Bank
    White female with short hair and purple blouse

    Isis Gaddis

    Senior Economist, South Asia Gender Innovation Lab, World Bank
    White indian female with medium length hair wearing black blouse

    Rohini Pande

    Professor of Economics, Yale University
    White female with short black hair wearing eye glasses and indian custom

    Sania Nishtar

    Senator & former Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to the Prime Minister of Pakistan
    white female with green eyes and dark pony hair wearing indian orange custom

    Sonalde Desai

    Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research
    Brown light skin female with short brown hair wearing eye glasses and indian custom

    Rubana Huq

    Vice Chancellor of the Asian University for Women

DETAILS

  • Topic: Social Norms and Gender Equality
  • Day 1: Wednesday, May 11, 2022 (7:00-10:30 AM EDT)
  • Day 2: Thursday, May 12, 2022 (7:00-9:30 AM EDT)
  • CONTACT: South Asia Chief Economist Office 
  • sarchiefeconomistoffice@worldbank.org