Guide to Formulating Gendered Social Norms Indicators in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition

"Understanding and addressing gender norms with regards to agriculture, food security and nutrition is fundamental if we are to achieve sustained and lasting impacts through development programmes."

From the perspective of the Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security, Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture (JP GTA), agricultural programmes and policies that promote critical reflections on gender norms and that provide strategies for shifting discriminatory normative practices can help advance gender equality and improve food security and nutrition. To track the progress and evaluate the impact of these interventions, sound monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems are needed. This guide from the JP GTA is designed to assist programme implementers and M&E specialists with formulating indicators to measure changes in gendered social norms in the context of food security and nutrition.

After providing an overview of social norms concepts, the guide explains the role of social norms in the theory of change (ToC) of the JP GTA. The ToC holds that discriminatory social norms are an underlying cause of food insecurity, malnutrition, and unsustainable agriculture, and they must be addressed to achieve lasting positive change in these areas. Discriminatory social norms lead to unequal power relations between men and women and pervasive discrimination against women that constrains their lives and wellbeing. The ToC identifies 9 core areas of gender inequalities where gender norms control, disempower, and limit women's and girls' choices, opportunities, and rights: (i) knowledge, skills, and access to information; (ii) productive autonomy; (iii) economic autonomy; (iv) agency; (v) division of labour; (vi) power, influence, and decision-making; (vii) participation, representation, and leadership; (viii) reproductive freedom; and (ix) freedom from violence and coercion.

After social norms are identified in formative research and prioritised within the ToC, teams can formulate indicators for the most relevant social norms for the behavioural outcomes of interest. (A social norms assessment should be conducted prior to a project baseline to accurately identify which social norms are present and influential to programme outcomes.) The gold standard proxy measure for social norms is people's perceptions about what others do and approve of. Social norms exist at the level of the community or society, but by asking people to report on those norms, we can measure their perceptions of the norms. Because social norms are collectively held by individuals and groups within the community, the same indicators can be used to assess social norms at individual, household, and community levels.

Subsequent sections offer guidance on how to develop these social norms indicators, including key messages on how to write social norms indicators, examples of generic indicators that can be adapted to any social norm, and example measurement questions. The final section provides a set of indicators for selected social norms relevant to food security and nutrition programmes. Among the annexes are, for example, recommended guidance resources and options for structuring quantitative survey questions on social norms.

In 2019, the European Union (EU), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched the JP GTA with financial support from the EU. Their aim is to trigger transformative change processes that lead to the achievement of gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and, ultimately, the improved well-being of all persons. The JP GTA is designed to help organisations move beyond treating the symptoms of gender discrimination, such as the unequal access to resources and benefits, to addressing the underlying causes of gender inequalities rooted in unequal power relations and discriminatory social institutions, including unequal gender norms, informal and formal rules and practices, and gender-blind/discriminatory laws and policies.

Editor's note: Click here in order to watch a recording of the July 21 2022 launch event of this guide. The recording is available in English, French, and Spanish.