Definition
Gender role attitudes pertain to peoples’ expectations of the appropriate “place” of the sexes (men and women) in the human society. Indigenous or adapted, such attitudes are shaped through a variety of cultural, religious, and normative lenses specific to each locale and transmitted to the cohorts from generation to generation through socialization and indoctrination, broadly defined (Kelly, 1986). Gender role attitudes are not benign. They codify behavioral norms and shape life’s chances and outcomes (Mayer & Schmidt, 2004). For women especially, these enduring gender orientations remain a perpetual game changer, particularly in traditional societies where women’s ascribed status remains decidedly more “inferior” than men’s and change is fiercely resisted (Haque, 2003). But gender role attitudes are not immutable. They vary with population diversity, industrialization, level of democratization, greater social density, and increased levels of division of labor (Khalid &...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Ahady, Anwar-ul-Haq. (1995). The decline of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Asian Survey, 35, 621–634.
Beal, F. M. (1979). Double jeopardy: To be Black and female. In T. Cade (Ed.), The Black woman: An anthology (pp. 90–100). New York: New American Library.
Centlivres, P. (1999). Le mouvement Taleban et condition feminine. [The Taleban movement and female condition.] Afghanistan Info, 11–13. Neuchâtel: Comité Suisse de Soutien au Peuple Afghan.
Fish, M. (2002). Islam and authoritarianism. World Politics, 55, 4–37. doi:10.1353/wp. 2003.0004.
Haque, M. S. (2003). Citizen participation in governance through representation: Issue of gender in East Asia. International Journal of Public Administration, 26, 569–590.
Inglehart, R., & Norris, P. (2003). Rising tide: Gender equality and cultural change around the world. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kakar, P. (2005). Tribal law of Pashtunwali and women’s legislative authority. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/ilsp/research/kakar.pdf
Kelly, R. (Ed.). (1986). Gender and socialization to power and politics. New York: Haworth.
Khalid, R., & Frieze, I. H. (2004). Measuring perceptions of gender roles: The IAWS for Pakistanis and U.S. immigrant populations. Sex Roles, 51, 293–299. doi: 10.1023/B:SERS.0000046613.99273.22.
Manganaro, L. L., & Alozie, N. O. (2011). Gender role attitudes: Who supports expanded rights for women in Afghanistan? Sex Roles, 64, 516–529.
Mayer, J. D., & Schmidt, H. M. (2004). Gendered political socialization in four contexts. The Social Science Journal, 41, 393–407.
Platek, M. (2004). Hostages of destiny: Gender issues in today’s Poland. Feminist Review, 76, 5–25. doi:10.1057/palgrave.fr.9400140.
Rashid, A. (2001). Taliban: Militant Islam, oil and fundamentalism in Central Asia. New Haven, CT: Yale Nota Bene Publications.
Read, J. G. (2003). The sources of gender role attitudes among Christian and Muslim Arab-American women. Sociology of Religion, 64, 207–222. doi:10.2307/3712371.
Rizzo, H., Abdel-Latif, A., & Meyer, K. (2007). The relationship between gender equality and democracy: A comparison of Arab versus non-Arab Muslim societies. Sociology, 41, 1151–1170. doi:10.1177/0038038507082320.
Roy, A. B. (2009). The socio-cultural issues in Afghan nation-building. Dialogue, 11. Retrieved from http://www.asthabharati.org/Dia_July 09/arpit.htm
Strickland, R. T. (2007). The way of the Pashtun: Pashtunwali. Canadian Army Journal, 10.3(Fall), 44–55.
Women for Women International. (2009). Afghanistan report: Amplifying the voices of women in Afghanistan. Stronger Women Stronger Nations Report Series. Retrieved from http://www.womenforwomen.org/news-women-for-women/files/AfghanistanReport.FINAL.hi-res.pdf
World Bank. (2005). National reconstruction and poverty reduction – The role of women in Afghanistan’s future. Washington, DC: Author.
Zulfacar, M. (2006). The pendulum of gender politics in Afghanistan. Central Asian Review, 25(1–2), 27–59.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Manganaro, L.L., Alozie, N.O. (2014). Gender Role Attitudes in Afghanistan. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_4136
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_4136
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0752-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0753-5
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law