Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Extensive prior research has demonstrated that reducing gender discrimination enhances women’s empowerment, promotes more inclusive livelihoods, increases agricultural productivity, and improves other development outcomes. This study aims to contribute to documenting and informing the measurement of...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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International Food Policy Research Institute
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176542 |
| _version_ | 1855526030795603968 |
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| author | Ragasa, Catherine Lambrecht, Isabel B. Ma, Ning Cole, Steven Ebrahim, Mohammed Desta, Gizaw Mersha, Abiro Tigabie Mudereri, Bester Kihiu, Evelyne Kreye, Christine Peter, Hellen |
| author_browse | Cole, Steven Desta, Gizaw Ebrahim, Mohammed Kihiu, Evelyne Kreye, Christine Lambrecht, Isabel B. Ma, Ning Mersha, Abiro Tigabie Mudereri, Bester Peter, Hellen Ragasa, Catherine |
| author_facet | Ragasa, Catherine Lambrecht, Isabel B. Ma, Ning Cole, Steven Ebrahim, Mohammed Desta, Gizaw Mersha, Abiro Tigabie Mudereri, Bester Kihiu, Evelyne Kreye, Christine Peter, Hellen |
| author_sort | Ragasa, Catherine |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Extensive prior research has demonstrated that reducing gender discrimination enhances women’s empowerment, promotes more inclusive livelihoods, increases agricultural productivity, and improves other development outcomes. This study aims to contribute to documenting and informing the measurement of gender attitudes that relate directly to reaching, benefiting, and empowering women through agricultural innovations. By analyzing data from 8,051 survey respondents across study sites in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda, our findings emphasize both commonalities and differences in gender attitudes across different contexts. Furthermore, by including a survey-based experiment during data collection, we assess whether gender-attitude statements vary depending on whether they are presented in a positive frame (focusing on equality) or in a negative frame (focusing on inequality). On average, rural women and men respondents across all countries supported more than half of the gender-equality statements. Some gender-inequality attitudes persisted across the four countries but varied in magnitude and by location, age group, and specific statement or theme. Framing matters: respondents exposed to a positive framing supported 16 percent more gender-equality statements than those exposed to a negative framing. The study highlights two main implications. First, the findings indicate the importance of considering both restrictive
attitudes and those that reflect gender-equality opportunities as being in the vanguard. Accordingly, gender-focused interventions should adopt strategies that challenge normative
views of women as supporting rather than leading actors in agriculture and economic activities. Second, gender-attitude measures do not perfectly align with country-level gender-equality
indicators or with empowerment at the intrahousehold level. They therefore capture a distinct dimension and merit their own indicators. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace176542 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1765422025-12-02T21:03:03Z Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa Ragasa, Catherine Lambrecht, Isabel B. Ma, Ning Cole, Steven Ebrahim, Mohammed Desta, Gizaw Mersha, Abiro Tigabie Mudereri, Bester Kihiu, Evelyne Kreye, Christine Peter, Hellen agriculture development gender livelihoods women’s empowerment Extensive prior research has demonstrated that reducing gender discrimination enhances women’s empowerment, promotes more inclusive livelihoods, increases agricultural productivity, and improves other development outcomes. This study aims to contribute to documenting and informing the measurement of gender attitudes that relate directly to reaching, benefiting, and empowering women through agricultural innovations. By analyzing data from 8,051 survey respondents across study sites in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda, our findings emphasize both commonalities and differences in gender attitudes across different contexts. Furthermore, by including a survey-based experiment during data collection, we assess whether gender-attitude statements vary depending on whether they are presented in a positive frame (focusing on equality) or in a negative frame (focusing on inequality). On average, rural women and men respondents across all countries supported more than half of the gender-equality statements. Some gender-inequality attitudes persisted across the four countries but varied in magnitude and by location, age group, and specific statement or theme. Framing matters: respondents exposed to a positive framing supported 16 percent more gender-equality statements than those exposed to a negative framing. The study highlights two main implications. First, the findings indicate the importance of considering both restrictive attitudes and those that reflect gender-equality opportunities as being in the vanguard. Accordingly, gender-focused interventions should adopt strategies that challenge normative views of women as supporting rather than leading actors in agriculture and economic activities. Second, gender-attitude measures do not perfectly align with country-level gender-equality indicators or with empowerment at the intrahousehold level. They therefore capture a distinct dimension and merit their own indicators. 2025-09-16 2025-09-17T12:53:31Z 2025-09-17T12:53:31Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176542 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/135665 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143588 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2024.111686 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.103026 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ragasa, Catherine; Lambrecht, Isabel B.; Ma, Ning; Cole, Steven; Ebrahim, Mohammed; Desta, Gizaw; et al. 2025. Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2357. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176542 |
| spellingShingle | agriculture development gender livelihoods women’s empowerment Ragasa, Catherine Lambrecht, Isabel B. Ma, Ning Cole, Steven Ebrahim, Mohammed Desta, Gizaw Mersha, Abiro Tigabie Mudereri, Bester Kihiu, Evelyne Kreye, Christine Peter, Hellen Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title | Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full | Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_fullStr | Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_short | Gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias: A survey experiment in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_sort | gender attitudes in agriculture and positivity bias a survey experiment in four countries in sub saharan africa |
| topic | agriculture development gender livelihoods women’s empowerment |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176542 |
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