Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Development Programme's Gender Social Norms Index, published on 5 March, in particular of the high percentage of people reported as holding at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violence or reproductive rights.

These findings are very concerning, but consistent with other evidence. The most recent World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report suggests growing disparity between women and men for a second year running in political empowerment, access to health and education and participation in the labour force.

Gendered norms and discriminatory social norms underpin the lack of progress towards gender equality and empowerment of girls and women worldwide.

That is why, at the heart of DFID’s Strategic Vision for Gender Equality is a call to action to challenge and change the unequal power relations between men and women, and the negative attitudes and discriminatory practices that hold girls and women back.

Rigorous evaluations conducted under DFID’s flagship What Works to Prevent Violence Programme have shown that it is possible to shift social norms within the timeframe of a programme. Approaches that engaged whole communities to challenge harmful norms achieved significant reductions in Violence Against Women and Girls of around 50%.