gender norms

Standards and expectations to which women and men generally conform, within a range that defines a particular society, culture and community at that point in time.

Additional notes and information

General

Gender norms are ideas about how women and men should be and act. Internalised early in life, gender norms can establish a life cycle of gender socialisation and stereotyping.

Sources

United Nations Statistics Division – UNSD. Global Gender Statistics Programme. Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/genderstatmanual/Glossary.ashx