Conceptualizing “agency” within child marriage: Implications for research and practice

Lokot, Michelle; Sulaiman, Munshi; Bhatia, Amiya; Horanieh, Nour; Cislaghi, Beniamino

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105086

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The conclusion of these deliberations is that there is a need for ‘more field‐tested tools … that incorporate an ethical lens’; for ‘real‐life case studies highlighting the kinds of ethical issues and decision points that arise’ (ibid. : 892); and that ‘more work is needed on conceptualizing child agency which is multifaceted, context‐specific, and encompasses child participation’ (Lokot et al., 2021: 2). Characterizing efforts to protect girls from early marriage as ‘social engineering’ misses the point by a rather wide margin, in its understanding both of social engineering as well as of emancipatory social movements which also claim to use an ethical, rights‐based lens.…”

Section: Sna‐2: Internal Critique and Extensionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Norm Change, Behavioural Approaches and the Politics of Knowledge: A Conversation between the Ivory Tower and the Field

Wazir¹

2022

Development and Change

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The social norms approach (SNA), the new entrant from the behavioural sciences into the field of development practice, professes a scientific, more accurate, efficient and cost-effective methodology for identifying, measuring and changing harmful social norms. Despite its increasing popularity, no systematic, robust or long-term field evaluations are available to demonstrate the effectiveness and sustainability of using the SNA, nor its superiority over other, pre-existing methods. This article critiques the SNA from the perspective of development praxis, highlighting three concerns: the underlying cultural presumptions about development and its subjects; the problematic methodological design and its complexity; and the lack of contextual framing in the approach and its focus on individual behaviour to the exclusion of the structural constraints embedded in the social and economic environment. The recent drift to broaden the SNA framework is also discussed and assessed. To illustrate a contrasting approach, a case study is presented of MV Foundation, a civil society organization that works on changing social norms on issues of education and child labour. The article concludes that the SNA is arguably yet another instance of colonization of the field of development through hegemonic control of the creation of knowledge.I am grateful to Shantha Sinha, Linda van der Wijk and the anonymous reviewers of the journal for their careful reading and extensive comments on the text.

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Section: Sna‐2: Internal Critique and Extensionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Norm Change, Behavioural Approaches and the Politics of Knowledge: A Conversation between the Ivory Tower and the Field

Wazir¹

2022

Development and Change

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“…It is clear that AGYW are typically agentic in the transition to marriage, often choosing to marry early and sometimes eloping against parental will. We caution here that agency is not a dichotomous trait (see also Lokot 2021, 2022) and that agency can exist even when constrained by limited options, social pressure and lack of information. Our conclusion is echoed by a growing body of research documenting evidence of female agency in marital transitions before 18 years across a variety of settings (Al Akash & Chalmiers, 2021; Boyden, Pankhurst, & Tafere, 2012; Knox, 2017; Stark, 2018; Syrett, 2016), and runs counter to a widespread view, held by both the general public of global north nations (Lawson et al, 2020) and global heath frameworks (Al Akash & Chalmiers, 2021; Schaffnit et al, 2020), that all or most ‘child marriages’ are, by definition, forced marriages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Why marry early? Parental influence, agency and gendered conflict in Tanzanian marriages

et al. 2022

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Global health interventions increasingly target the abolishment of ‘child marriage’ (marriage under 18 years, hereafter referred to as ‘early marriage’). Guided by human behavioural ecology theory, and drawing on focus groups and in-depth interviews in an urbanizing Tanzanian community where female early marriage is normative, we examine the common assumption that it is driven by the interests and coercive actions of parents and/or men. We find limited support for parent-offspring conflict. Parents often encouraged early marriages, but were motivated by the promise of social and economic security for daughters, rather than bridewealth transfers alone. Moreover, forced marriage appears rare, and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) were active agents in the transition to marriage, sometimes marrying against parental wishes. Support for gendered conflict was stronger. AGYW were described being lured into unstable relationships by men misrepresenting their long-term intentions. Parents and AGYW voiced concerns over these marriages. Overall, early marriage appears rooted in limited options, encouraging strategic, but risky choices on the marriage market. Our results highlight plurality and context-dependency in drivers of early marriage, even within a single community. We conclude that engaging with the importance of context is fundamental in forging culturally-sensitive policies and programs on early marriage.

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“…Building on this, Kabeer (1999) argues that agency is operationalised in the concept of choice, in that it refers to the capacity to define one's goals and act on them. Scholar have also linked agency to the concept of empowerment, a term sometimes used interchangeably with agency (Dunn and Powell-Williams, 2007;Lokot et al, 2021). Kabeer (1999: 436, emphasis in original) for instance defines empowerment in terms of 'the ability to make choices: to be disempowered, therefore, means being denied choice'.…”

Section: Women's Agency and Fgm/c: Does Choice Exist?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and structural factors influencing women’s agency regarding female genital mutilation/cutting: an intersectional analysis – a reply to ‘The prosecution of Dawoodi Bohra women’ by Richard Shweder

Shell‐Duncan

2022

Global Discourse

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Countries around the world have passed laws specifically banning female genital mutilation/cutting. Legal restrictions vary as to whether they apply to both girls and adult women or to minors only, and few address a second set of genital cutting procedures known as ‘female genital cosmetic surgeries’. Different legal framings reflect variation in views regarding women’s autonomy and their ability to provide meaningful consent. Social norms theory has drawn attention to the fact that in societies where customary female genital mutilation/cutting is common, women can be under intense pressure to conform lest risking social inclusion, support and possibly marriage prospects. Hence, protectionist measures by the state have been invited. Much less attention has been directed towards the broader circumstances that can shape and constrain women’s autonomy, including economic instability, limited access to resources and services, political marginalisation and discrimination, and global factors such as climate change. In this article, I highlight the promise of intersectional analyses of factors influencing female genital mutilation/cutting and suggest that in moving beyond the problematic distinction of ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ societies, it is more fruitful to understand the multiple and combined factors that influence women’s empowerment. Drawing on case studies from Senegal, Kenya and the US, I illustrate that the logic to perform female genital mutilation/cutting or to resist engaging in community outreach on female genital mutilation/cutting may not only emanate from community norms, but also include broader conditions that influence people’s ability to cope with precarious livelihoods. A more comprehensive understanding of spheres of influence on women’s choices can be gained by examining how structural, material, social and individual domains overlap in a woman’s life. Programmes that aim to address female genital mutilation/cutting may be enhanced by expanding beyond a focus on legal reform and social norms to also address the broader structural and global factors that influence women’s agency. Key messages <ul><li>Worldwide, laws banning female genital mutilation/cutting vary in important ways, including whether they apply to all women or only minor girls.</li> <li>Legal restrictions also vary in terms of whether they apply to all forms of genital cutting, including type IV female genital mutilation (nicking, pricking or scraping) and elective genital cosmetic surgeries that may result in physical modifications very similar to some forms of female genital mutilation/cutting.</li> <li>Social norms theory, which focuses on community pressure to conform with the customary practice of female genital mutilation/cutting, does not fully explain variation in women’s agency and their ability to provide meaningful consent.</li> <li>A more comprehensive understanding of spheres of influence on women’s autonomy can be gained by examining the multiple and intersecting domains that include such structural factors as economic instability, limited access to resources, political marginalisation and discrimination.</li> <li>Programmes aimed at addressing female genital mutilation/cutting may be strengthened by expanding the focus beyond social norms and legal reform, and also addressing the structural and global factors that influence women’s agency.</li></ul>

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Conceptualizing “agency” within child marriage: Implications for research and practice

Cited by 14 publications

References 64 publications

Social Norm Change, Behavioural Approaches and the Politics of Knowledge: A Conversation between the Ivory Tower and the Field

Social Norm Change, Behavioural Approaches and the Politics of Knowledge: A Conversation between the Ivory Tower and the Field

Why marry early? Parental influence, agency and gendered conflict in Tanzanian marriages

Social and structural factors influencing women’s agency regarding female genital mutilation/cutting: an intersectional analysis – a reply to ‘The prosecution of Dawoodi Bohra women’ by Richard Shweder

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