A Review of Gender Norms, Agency and the Adoption of Agricultural Innovations

Abstract

Gender norms may enable or inhibit the adoption of various innovations. Women are often constrained by norms but they may also be able to use norms to serve their interests. In order to ensure that innovations benefit both women and men, it is important to understand what norms exist in a particular context and why and how they function. Our findings indicate that in addition to paying attention to the variety of norms in a specific geographical or cultural setting, we must think beyond just economic gains for women to ensure that new innovations can be adopted equitably by women.