Faith Leaders & Sacred Text: Attitude & Behavior Shifts around Sticky Norms

Principal Investigator: Jillian J. Foster

Research Team: Anley Mihret Melesse, Faraidoon Osmani, Najeebullah Lalzad, Patrick Thomas, Dr. Qodsia Elyar, Rashindu De Mel

Location: Afghanistan

Partner: World Vision Australia & World Vision Afghanistan

Sticky norms—those deeply embedded in culture, tradition, and religion—are difficult to change in any context. This is perhaps especially so in conservative communities. This study examined three hypotheses: (1) If justified by religious text and embedded in religious practice, faith leaders will adopt teachings and adjust their behavior in ways that differ from previous traditions; (2) The evangelizing of faith leaders will encourage similar attitude and behavior shifts in their constituents; and (3) Constituents of faith leaders who not only evangelize but also exhibit changes in their own behavior will display greater shifts in attitudes and behaviors. In partnership with World Vision Australia and Afghanistan, the research team tested these hypotheses through an intervention aimed at elevating women’s rights and empowering women as political actors in and around Herat, Afghanistan. Data suggests treated faith leaders quickly adopted pro-women’s rights messages justified by sacred text and taught those messages to their constituents. Many of those faith leaders exhibited behavior change in their own households, namely sending their daughters to school when they had otherwise prohibited education beyond early childhood. Though attitude and behavior changes were modest among community members, there were meaningful improvements: increased acceptance of girls’ education, more cooperation between local female leaders and faith leaders, and decreased acceptance of violence against women. Importantly, faith leaders displayed greater willingness to intervene in support of women’s rights and ending violence against women.

Background

The empowerment of women in conservative societies is both vitally important and a complex challenge. Women in Afghanistan face multi-dimensional, interrelated, and self-reinforcing discrimination due to harmful cultural traditions that restrict women’s physical mobility and constrain their access to public services and space. Moreover, the limited capacity of state institutions and ongoing conflict in the region continue to exacerbate these challenges. Women lack of social, economic, and political power, which has led to limited control over decision made about their own health, the health and schooling of their children, and major household purchases, among other things.

In Injil, Guzara, Karokh, Kohsan, Zindejan, Ghoryan, and Koshk Rabatsangi districts, 40 lead and 760 junior faith leaders participated in the Gender in Islam training-of-trainers intervention, delivered by World Vision Afghanistan, throughout 2014-2016.

Research Design

The research team designed a rigorous multi-methods study that paired baseline data with 31 semi-structured interviews with faith leaders and female community leaders, 12 focus group discussions with female community members and political leaders, and 533 household (394) and faith leader (139) surveys collected in three districts in May 2017. From this data, 11 attitudinal indices were created to the test hypotheses.

Findings

While causal attribution is limited by a lack of a control sample, there are several important findings that suggest attitudes and behaviors around sticky norms can be changed by engaging faith leaders. More than 760 Gender in Islam step-down trainings were held by the 40 lead faith leaders. Trainings were designed to allow extended deliberation among faith leaders, which increased confidence in content being rooted in religious doctrine. Confidence in the Gender in Islam material translated into adoption of these messages by the faith leaders and their constituents. Indeed, 69.3% of households surveyed attended one or more Friday prayer where the faith leader spoke in favour of women’s rights, education, and participation in community decision-making.

Attitude and behavior change was clear among community members—41% fewer men reported their wife as illiterate and there was a 34.5% increase in the number of women reporting they had the same level of education as their male partner. Women increased their participation in community decision-making and household spending decisions (23.5% more men at endline stated their wife makes household spending decisions) and support for violence against women decreased by 14.3%.

Finally, there was substantial increase in confidence and trust in female political leaders, with a 500% increase in the number of cases referred to local women’s shuras (women’s leadership council). Both women’s shura members and faith leaders reported increased collaboration. Indeed, 71.4% of female leaders reported they collaborated directly with faith leaders over the most recent 2 years, where collaboration in the past was minimal.

Policy Implications

This evaluation highlights the promise of community change models of intervention, particularly those that engage faith leaders as potential agents of change. In contexts where faith leaders hold positions of considerable community influence and prestige, grounding norms change messaging in faith teachings is a powerful way to distribute information and ensure community receptiveness. There is a need, however, to be particularly vigilant that all content conveyed to faith leaders in trainings is rooted in religious practice and doctrine. Additionally, it is important to take into account local understandings of terms and ensure that any mismatch with definitions is addressed proactively–for example, cultural and gender-specific understandings of the meaning of ‘child’ is a common definitional challenge.