Abstract
Whereas epidemiologic studies consistently identify different rates and types of problematic behavior in boys and girls, there has been little research examining the ecocultural context in which these gender differences in child behavior problems develop, especially in non-Western settings. This qualitative study in rural Nepal explored how behavioral expectations differed based on gender role, gender discrimination, inequity, and treatment of children based on their gender identity. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of 14 parents, school workers, and community leaders from a village in rural Nepal. Interview transcripts were coded by two authors using predetermined and emergent codes to identify expectations, behavior problems, and responses to behavior problems, stratified by gender. Authors then arranged codes into categories based on emergent themes. Four major themes in the interviews were identified: (1) self-reported gender non-bias; (2) differentiated role expectations; (3) gender, “goodness”, and differential thresholds for problem behaviors; and (4) boys and girls require different responses for misbehavior. Results from our study in Nepal reflect nearly universal models of gender differences in behavior. Of particular importance in South Asia, patrilocal marital practices were used to frame gender differences in expectations. To protect girls’ future potential to marry, local cultural practices provide girls with lesser opportunities and less cultural space to conduct themselves in a disruptive manner than boys. Greater understanding of differential expectations and responses to disruptive behaviors by gender will be important for culturally-appropriate equitable programming in child development.
Highlights
Epidemiologic studies consistently identify gender differences in the prevalence and patterns of behavior problems[1,2]
Gaines[3] has argued that psychiatric diagnostic categories found in texts such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) express an “underlying cultural psychology,” in which gendered behavioral problems are constructed as psychiatric disorders and assumed to be biologically associated with gender
The purpose of this study was to understand how behavioral expectations differed for girls versus boys in the context of culturally-specific gender roles and gender discrimination practices
Summary
Epidemiologic studies consistently identify gender differences in the prevalence and patterns of behavior problems[1,2]. Boys and men have a higher status in patriarchal societies and are more likely to be perceived as good leaders, while the inverse is true for girls and women[10,11] These gender roles and expectations placed on boys and girls have tangible impacts[12]. Despite high rates of delinquency in boys, boys later as men are often overrepresented in Nepali leadership while girls are excluded later as women on family, community, and institutional levels[1,2,7] Objectivist interpretations of these differences, are problematic for several reasons—they reaffirm gender stereotypes and consider gender to be a primary cause of behavior without attending to its symbolic meaning or social context. A constructivist evaluation of the interface between culture, gender, and behavior problems is needed in order to place these epidemiologic findings in context[5]
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