Manji, K (2018) Articulating the Role of Social Norms in Sustaining Intimate Partner Violence in ...

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Manji, K; (2018) Articulating the Role of Social Norms in Sustaining Intimate Partner Vio-
lence in Mwanza, Tanzania. PhD thesis, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17037/PUBS.04647114
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honline.lshtm.ac.ukhttps://researc
Articulating
 the
 Role
 of
 Social
 Norms
 in
 Sustaining
 Intimate

Partner
 Violence
 in
 Mwanza,
 Tanzania.

Karima
 Manji

Thesis
 submitted
 in
 accordance
 with
 the
 requirements
 for
 the
 degree
 of

Doctor
 of
 Philosophy

University
 of
 London

January
 2018

Department
 of
 Global
 Health
 &
 Development

Faculty
 of
 Public
 Health
 &
 Policy

LONDON
 SCHOOL
 OF
 HYGIENE
 &
 TROPICAL
 MEDICINE

Funded
 by
 American
 Jewish
 World
 Service

Research
 group
 affiliation:
 STRIVE

  1
Statement
 of
 own
 work

Declaration
 by
 candidate

I,
 Karima
 Manji,
 confirm
 that
 the
 work
 presented
 in
 this
 thesis
 is
 my
 own.

Where
 information
 has
 been
 derived
 from
 other
 sources,
 I
 confirm
 that
 this
 has

been
 indicated
 in
 the
 thesis.

I
 have
 read
 and
 understood
 the
 School’s
 definition
 and
 policy
 on
 the
 use
 of
 third

parties
 (either
 paid
 or
 unpaid)
 who
 have
 contributed
 to
 the
 preparation
 of
 this

thesis
 by
 providing
 copy
 editing
 and,
 or,
 proof
 reading
 services.
 I
 declare
 that
 no

changes
 to
 the
 intellectual
 content
 or
 substance
 of
 this
 thesis
 were
 made
 as
 a

result
 of
 this
 advice,
 and
 that
 I
 have
 fully
 acknowledged
 all
 such
 contributions.

Signed:

  Date:
 22nd

 Januarry
 2018

Full
 name:
 KARIMA
 NOORALI
 MANJI

  2
Abstract

Background
 and
 aims:

Intimate
 partner
 violence
 (IPV)
 has
 emerged
 as
 a
 serious
 public
 health
 issue

that
 demands
 global
 action.
 While
 practitioners
 and
 researchers
 in
 the
 violence

field
 have
 long
 argued
 that
 gender-­‐related
 norms
 are
 fundamentally
 linked
 to

IPV,
 there
 is
 little
 theoretical
 understanding
 of
 exactly
 how
 norms
 affect

violence
 in
 practice.
 Moreover,
 while
 norms
 are
 central
 to
 feminist
 accounts
 of

violence,
 there
 has
 been
 little
 effort
 to
 apply
 social
 norms
 theory
 to
 the
 realities

of
 partner
 violence.
 This
 thesis
 aims
 to
 address
 these
 gaps
 by
 investigating

empirically
 how
 social
 norms
 affect
 partner
 violence,
 using
 Tanzania
 as
 a
 case

study.

Methods:

In
 particular,
 this
 study
 employs
 a
 qualitative
 methodology
 and
 uses
 two

sources
 of
 data
 –
 focus
 group
 discussions
 and
 semi-­‐structured
 interviews
 –
 to

generate
 data
 on
 how
 local
 people
 in
 an
 urban
 community
 in
 Mwanza,
 Tanzania

describe
 norms
 linked
 to
 IPV.
 While
 the
 interview
 guides
 are
 structured
 to

probe
 elements
 of
 social
 norm
 theory,
 the
 questions
 are
 open-­‐ended
 to

encourage
 participants
 to
 speak
 to
 their
 own
 understandings
 of
 IPV.
 Similarly,

whereas
 the
 study
 primarily
 uses
 social
 norms
 theory
 to
 interpret
 its
 findings,
 it

draws
 on
 other
 bodies
 of
 social
 science
 theory,
 such
 as
 gender
 theory,
 to
 fully

account
 for
 how
 norms
 perpetuate
 IPV,
 as
 revealed
 by
 the
 data.

Findings
 and
 conclusion:

The
 study
 concludes
 that
 whereas
 traditional
 norms
 theory
 offers
 insights

useful
 for
 identifying
 normative
 influence,
 it
 is
 inadequate
 for
 understanding

the
 role
 of
 gender
 norms
 in
 catalysing
 and
 sustaining
 IPV.
 To
 fill
 this
 gap,
 the

study
 unites
 disparate
 bodies
 of
 scholarship
 into
 a
 coherent
 framework
 for

articulating
 how
 gender
 norms
 affect
 IPV
 in
 low-­‐income
 countries
 contextually

similar
 to
 Tanzania.
 Because
 such
 a
 framework
 is
 embedded
 in
 empirical

realities,
 it
 also
 has
 utility
 for
 donors
 and
 programmers
 wishing
 to
 employ
 it
 to

design
 and
 evaluate
 programmes
 aimed
 at
 transforming
 gender
 discriminatory

norms
 that
 sustain
 IPV
 in
 similar
 settings.

  3
Acknowledgements

It
 has
 been
 said
 that
 doing
 a
 PhD
 is
 a
 very
 lonely
 process.
 I
 don't
 quite
 agree.
 For

the
 past
 four
 plus
 years,
 I
 have
 been
 accompanied
 on
 my
 journey
 by
 the
 most

wonderful
 and
 supportive
 people,
 to
 whom
 I
 am
 deeply
 grateful.
 I
 am
 firstly

grateful
 to
 my
 supervisors
 and
 mentors,
 Lori
 Heise
 and
 Ben
 Cislaghi,
 for
 being

incredible
 guides,
 full
 of
 dedication,
 kindness
 and
 patience.
 Lori’s
 wisdom,
 her

scope
 of
 practical
 and
 research
 experience,
 her
 critical
 genius
 and
 her

unmatched
 eloquence
 have
 been
 inspirational
 and
 have
 deeply
 enhanced
 my

learning.
 Lori
 also
 gave
 me
 the
 wonderful
 opportunity
 to
 attend
 and
 present
 at

several
 international
 conferences
 and
 meetings
 where
 I
 met
 with
 many

inspiring
 folk
 who
 greatly
 enriched
 this
 dissertation
 and
 my
 professional

growth.
 Without
 Ben,
 who
 stepped
 in
 at
 a
 crucial
 time,
 I
 would
 have
 struggled
 to

complete
 this
 work
 within
 the
 time
 frame.
 Ben
 generated
 the
 momentum
 that

pushed
 me
 forwards.
 He
 also
 pushed
 me
 to
 grow
 as
 an
 academic
 writer.
 His

invaluable
 advice
 that
 a
 good
 writer
 is
 one
 who
 can
 explain
 complex
 notions

using
 simple
 language
 was
 his
 gentle
 way
 of
 telling
 me
 to
 scrap
 the
 jargon
 and

to
 be
 precise.
 Such
 snippets
 were
 characteristic
 of
 Ben’s
 hands-­‐on
 approach
 and

they
 got
 the
 job
 done!
 I
 am
 eternally
 grateful
 to
 both
 Ben
 and
 Lori
 for
 pushing

me
 to
 grow
 as
 a
 researcher,
 for
 reading
 countless
 drafts
 and
 for
 providing

rigorous
 feedback
 that
 undoubtedly
 enhanced
 this
 dissertation.

This
 research
 came
 to
 life
 thanks
 to
 the
 support
 of
 John
 Changalucha,
 the

Director
 of
 the
 National
 Institute
 of
 Medical
 Research
 (NIMR),
 Mwanza.
 John

graciously
 agreed
 to
 host
 my
 research
 at
 the
 Institute,
 which
 greatly
 facilitated

fieldwork
 logistics.
 Being
 based
 at
 NIMR
 also
 meant
 that
 I
 didn’t
 have
 to
 go
 it

alone.
 Thank
 you
 to
 Dr.
 Joseph
 Mwanga,
 my
 office
 mate
 and
 fellow
 social

scientist
 for
 your
 good
 advice,
 good
 humour
 and
 for
 empathising
 with
 my
 day-­‐
to-­‐day
 struggles.
 My
 deep
 gratitude
 also
 goes
 to
 Joyce
 Wamoyi,
 not
 only
 for

introducing
 me
 to
 the
 Director
 at
 NIMR
 and
 acquiring
 me
 an
 office
 space,
 but
 for

her
 lovely
 friendship
 and
 for
 providing
 thoughtful
 and
 ongoing
 feedback
 during

the
 upgrading
 and
 data
 collection
 process.
 It
 was
 through
 Joyce
 that
 I
 was

introduced
 to
 my
 wonderful
 and
 highly
 competent
 research
 team
 –
 Dotto,

Penina,
 Masesa
 and
 Shagihilu
 –
 who
 absorbed
 the
 study
 with
 enthusiasm,

  4
contributed
 greatly
 to
 refining
 questions
 and
 who
 smilingly
 endured
 repeated

rounds
 of
 practice
 vignettes
 and
 role-­‐plays
 in
 preparation
 for
 data
 collection.

Thank
 you
 for
 your
 deep
 commitment
 and
 for
 creating
 such
 a
 comfortable
 and

fun
 working
 environment.
 A
 very
 special
 thanks
 to
 Penina
 in
 Dar
 es
 Salam
 for

her
 top-­‐notch
 translation
 work
 that
 saved
 the
 day.
 I
 am
 also
 very
 grateful
 to
 my

editor
 Rehanna,
 whose
 sharp
 eye
 in
 the
 final
 stages
 of
 the
 dissertation
 ensured
 a

crisp
 script
 and
 saved
 me
 from
 some
 potentially
 embarrassing
 hiccups.
 A

specific
 instance
 comes
 to
 mind:
 Rehanna
 thankfully
 pointed
 out
 that
 on
 one

occasion,
 I
 had
 left
 out
 a
 particular
 letter
 in
 my
 spelling
 of
 the
 word
 ‘public’.

I
 am
 forever
 indebted
 to
 my
 second
 family,
 Aleena
 and
 super
 mom
 Hassina,
 for

their
 deep
 generosity.
 I
 have
 lost
 count
 of
 all
 the
 weeks
 I
 spent
 at
 their
 London

home
 during
 several
 key
 stages
 of
 the
 dissertation.
 Their
 open
 door
 policy
 took

the
 phrase
 'mi
 casa
 su
 casa'
 to
 another
 level.
 I
 came
 home
 from
 long
 days
 at

work
 to
 find
 hot
 home-­‐cooked
 meals
 waiting
 for
 me
 and
 a
 fridge
 that
 was

replenished
 daily.
 They
 made
 it
 so
 easy.

Words
 could
 never
 adequately
 express
 the
 gratitude
 I
 feel
 for
 my
 sister
 and
 best

friend,
 Farah.
 She
 has
 encouraged
 me
 through
 every
 step
 of
 this
 dissertation,

holding
 me
 up
 in
 both
 difficult
 and
 euphoric
 moments.
 She
 let
 me
 rant
 about
 the

disservice
 of
 patriarchy,
 looked
 over
 drafts
 at
 the
 drop
 of
 a
 hat
 and
 celebrated

every
 little
 victory;
 every
 chapter
 written
 and
 re-­‐written.
 Farah
 has
 engaged

with
 the
 process
 as
 a
 whole,
 in
 her
 signature
 way.

Thank
 you
 to
 my
 partner
 in
 crime,
 Daniel.
 He
 was
 a
 driving
 force
 behind
 this

PhD.
 Daniel
 did
 more
 than
 just
 stand
 by
 me
 –
 he
 has
 nourished
 this
 work
 and

been
 a
 catalyst
 in
 these
 self-­‐transformative
 years.
 Daniel
 has
 always
 understood

my
 cause,
 while
 rightly
 pointing
 out
 that
 not
 every
 single
 domestic
 chore
 in
 our

marriage
 is
 about
 gender.
 He
 has
 kept
 things
 ‘real’
 and
 shown
 deep
 compassion

during
 times
 of
 difficult
 but
 important
 introspection
 that
 come
 with
 the

dissertation’s
 particular
 territory.

  5
And
 lastly,
 but
 most
 profoundly,
 I
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 parents,
 without

whom
 none
 of
 this
 would
 be
 possible.
 I
 am
 here
 today
 because
 of
 all
 you
 have

instilled
 in
 me
 and
 done
 for
 me.
 Thank
 you
 for
 your
 life-­‐long
 commitment
 to

and
 investment
 in
 my
 education
 and
 for
 giving
 me
 my
 wings.
 I
 may
 not
 have

given
 you
 much
 say
 when
 it
 came
 to
 certain
 matters,
 but
 you
 understood
 the

importance
 of
 letting
 me
 find
 my
 own
 way,
 even
 when
 this
 meant
 going
 against

the
 norms.

This
 work
 is
 dedicated
 to
 my
 dear
 grandfather,
 Mohan,
 who
 spent
 his
 life
 in

service
 to
 humanity.
 He
 transformed
 the
 lives
 of
 so
 many
 people,
 and
 his
 love

saw
 no
 boundaries
 –
 no
 age,
 no
 creed,
 no
 colour.
 Your
 spirit
 lives
 on
 eternally.

  6
List
 of
 Abbreviations

IPV
  Intimate
 Partner
 Violence

GBV
  Gender
 Based
 Violence

FGC
  Female
 Genital
 Cutting

DEO
  District
 Executive
 Officer

WEO
  Ward
 Executive
 Officer

MEO
  Mtaa
 Executive
 Officer

IDI
  In
 Depth
 Interview

FGD
  Focus
 Group
 Discussion

DHS
  Demographic
 Health
 Survey

FFS
  Fish-­‐for-­‐Sex

  7
Table
 of
 Contents

Chapter
 1:
 Introduction
 ....................................................................................................
 11

Intimate
 partner
 violence
 as
 an
 important
 public
 health
 issue
 .............................
 11

Articulating
 the
 role
 of
 norms
 in
 sustaining
 IPV
 .........................................................
 12

Research
 aim
 and
 rationale
 ................................................................................................
 13

Organisation
 of
 the
 thesis
 ...................................................................................................
 16

Chapter
 2:
 Social
 norms
 and
 IPV:
 a
 system
 of
 theories
 ..........................................
 19

Introduction
 .............................................................................................................................
 19

The
 ecological
 model
 of
 IPV:
 the
 importance
 of
 gender
 norms
 ..............................
 20

What
 are
 social
 norms?
 ........................................................................................................
 26

Structural
 Functionalism
 .................................................................................................................
 27

Social
 Psychology
 ................................................................................................................................
 29

Rational
 Choice
 Categories
 .............................................................................................................
 32

Rational
 choice
 theory
 ..................................................................................................................................
 32

Game
 theory
 ......................................................................................................................................................
 32

Bicchieri’s
 social
 norms
 theory:
 a
 rational
 reconstruction
 of
 social
 norms
 ..........................
 33

What
 is
 gender?
 ......................................................................................................................
 43

Gender
 schemas
 ...................................................................................................................................
 45

Gender
 norms
 .......................................................................................................................................
 46

Gender
 roles
 ..........................................................................................................................................
 49

Gender
 inequality:
 the
 pervasiveness
 of
 gender
 norms
 .....................................................
 50

Processes
 of
 gender
 norm
 change
 ...............................................................................................
 53

Conclusion
 ................................................................................................................................
 56

Research
 Methodology
 ......................................................................................................
 57

Introduction
 .............................................................................................................................
 57

Research
 questions
 ...............................................................................................................
 57

Epistemological
 stance
 .........................................................................................................
 58

Study
 design
 .............................................................................................................................
 59

A
 qualitative
 approach
 ......................................................................................................................
 59

Case
 study
 method
 ..............................................................................................................................
 60

The
 choice
 of
 the
 case
 study
 ...........................................................................................................
 61

Contextual
 background
 .....................................................................................................................
 64

Techniques
 of
 data
 collection
 ........................................................................................................
 65

Development
 of
 data
 collection
 tools
 ..............................................................................
 69

  8
Fieldwork
 and
 data
 collection
 ...........................................................................................
 75

Data
 analysis
 ............................................................................................................................
 79

Transcription
 and
 translation
 .......................................................................................................
 79

Thematic
 latent
 analysis
 ..................................................................................................................
 80

Ethical
 considerations
 ..........................................................................................................
 84

Limitations
 to
 methodology
 ...............................................................................................
 87

Chapter
 4:
 Domesticity
 and
 Violence
 ...........................................................................
 91

Introduction
 .............................................................................................................................
 91

Two
 social
 norms
 connected
 to
 family
 privacy
 ............................................................
 92

A
 good
 wife
 does
 not
 disclose
 private
 family
 matters
 ........................................................
 93

A
 good
 neighbour
 does
 not
 interfere
 in
 the
 private
 affairs
 of
 a
 couple
 ....................
 105

Two
 social
 norms
 connected
 to
 a
 woman’s
 role
 in
 the
 family
 .............................
 109

A
 good
 wife
 keeps
 her
 marriage
 intact
 ...................................................................................
 110

A
 good
 mother
 protects
 her
 children
 ......................................................................................
 117

Conclusion
 .............................................................................................................................
 122

Chapter
 5:
 Headship
 and
 Violence
 .............................................................................
 127

Introduction
 ..........................................................................................................................
 127

Four
 social
 norms
 connected
 to
 male
 authority
 .......................................................
 128

Two
 norms
 connected
 to
 a
 man’s
 role
 in
 the
 family
 .........................................................
 128

A
 real
 man
 provides
 for
 his
 family
 .......................................................................................................
 128

A
 real
 man
 does
 not
 help
 around
 the
 house
 .....................................................................................
 135

Two
 norms
 connected
 to
 a
 woman’s
 role
 in
 marriage
 .....................................................
 141

A
 good
 wife
 is
 below
 her
 husband
 ........................................................................................................
 141

A
 good
 wife
 acquiesces
 when
 her
 husband
 wants
 to
 have
 sex
 ................................................
 147

A
 social
 norm
 connected
 to
 male
 dignity
 ....................................................................
 154

A
 good
 wife
 is
 faithful
 in
 her
 marriage
 ...................................................................................
 154

Conclusion
 .............................................................................................................................
 159

Chapter
 6:
 Material
 and
 Structural
 Factors
 Impinging
 on
 Social
 Norms

Sustaining
 IPV
 ...................................................................................................................
 163

Introduction
 ..........................................................................................................................
 163

Urban
 living
 arrangements
 facilitate
 norms
 connected
 to
 family
 privacy
 ......
 163

Structural
 factors
 impede
 women’s
 ability
 to
 divorce
 husbands
 .......................
 169

Male
 poverty
 challenges
 norms
 connected
 to
 male
 breadwinning
 and
 male

dignity
 .....................................................................................................................................
 171

Conclusion
 .............................................................................................................................
 182

  9