Male Provider Stigma
RCTReview
Male heads of household face social penalties and status loss when female relatives work outside the home, as community members view working wives as evidence of male economic inadequacy.
Picture this
Male provider stigma acts like a social tax levied on husbands. If a wife takes a paid job outside the home, neighbors assume the husband cannot afford to feed the household, creating embarrassment that compels men to restrict female employment.
What the evidence says
At baseline, 56% of men anticipated that community members would view them as a bad provider if their wives worked outside the home for pay.
- Who was studied
- N = 5,851 women and male spouses in 197 village clusters across Gwalior, Morena, Shivpuri, and Sheopur districts in Madhya Pradesh, India.
- How
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) baseline survey measuring personal beliefs and anticipated community sanctions regarding female labor supply in low-income rural areas.
What to do
Measure baseline provider stigma among male decision-makers to design targeted communications that decouple female earnings from male breadwinner status.
From the source
"On average, men in the study sample anticipated 56% of their community members would think they were a bad provider if their wives worked outside the home for pay."
Impact_of_Financial_Control_on_Womens_Labor_Supply_and_Gender_Norms.pdf