Norms in the news

Welcome to ALIGN’s norms in the news page where we profile media stories related to gender and social norms. Here we provide links to a range of news stories which illuminate the impact of harmful norms, newfound data and information on measuring and understanding norms. Many of these articles explore how norms are changing in different societies, and discuss policies and approaches that affect norms. Not all stories use the terminology ‘gender norms’, but they all help highlight topics where gender and social norms have a clear influence.

Please do share any relevant articles you see by submitting the title and link in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Please note, views in these articles are the publication's own and do not necessarily reflect those of ALiGN or the Overseas Development Institute.

Health workers put on their personal protective equipment before treating people suspected of having Ebola at the Ebola Transition Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. © World Bank/Vincent Tremeau

Articles relating to COVID-19 and gender norms

Articles relating to gender norms

India

4 November 2020

Past to present: How different is today’s India for its women?

Theme: Gender-based violence
Source: Feminism in India

Global

5 March 2020

A lone woman is seen among delegates at the National People’s Congress in Beijing. © Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

Nine out of 10 people found to be biased against women

Theme: Backlash
Source: The Guardian - UK

UK and global

3 March 2020

Woman's Hour: Prevention of violence against women and girls

Theme: Violence against women and girls, intimate partner violence
Source: BBC - UK

Burkina Faso

27 January 2020

A class for auto mechanic at the CFIAM all-female school in Ouagadougou. ©Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni/The Guardian

Changing roles in Burkina Faso - a photo essay

Theme: Economic empowerment, Masculinities
Source: The Guardian - UK

Japan

17 January 2020

Culture shock: can trailblazing Japanese minister change minds on paternity leave?

Theme: Men, boys and masculinities, politics, unpaid care work
Source: The Guardian - United Kingdom

8 January 2020

Photo of the advert for People Per Hour was banned for "reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes" ©BBC

'Girl boss' advert banned for gender stereotyping

Theme: Advertising, WEE
Source: BBC - UK

United Kingdom

16 January 2020

‘Many survivors feel guilt or shame, torturing themselves with questions like why they didn’t somehow fight off their attackers.’ Photograph: Cebas/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Male rape survivors suffer in silence. We need to help them talk

Theme: Toxic masculinity
Source: The Guardian - UK

The article highlights the lack of support for male survivors of sexual violence, and the ways that toxic gender norms often leave them traumatised and struggling.

Japan

10 December 2019

Illustration from the article. Credit: Jing Wei/NYT

The Japanese rebel who’s fighting the tyranny of high heels

Theme: Social movements
Source: New York Times - USA

This article discusses how a young activist in Japan used online social movements through hashtags to tackle gender norms about women wearing high heels in Japan.

12 November 2019

Children from Torriano primary in north London changed their views during the pilot about which jobs were ‘for boys’. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

A year to clean five schools of sexism – shouldn’t others do the same?

Theme: Education
Source: The Guardian - UK

There is a renewed focus on challenging gender stereotypes and inequitable norms in childhood. This article highlights some inspiring experiences in UK primary schools.

Lebanon

24 October 2019