Positive Deviance in Gender: A Grassroots Approach

In this paper, Sangeeta Shrestha outlines a method for creating and introducing community messages on gender roles and the potential for expanding the roles of women and girls in Nepali communities. For this method of message development, a family is chosen for their "good performance by male and female members relating to decision making, health and educational opportunities for girls and women and the sharing of household chores and child care between them." Shrestha calls this "positive deviance", suggesting that these families are modelling positive, shared, and expanding gender role definitions, rather than limiting and negative gender roles. These families then participate as models in discussions for developing messages about broader gender role possibilities.

The process is outlined in steps, including: choosing 3-4 ethnic groups from which to select positive deviant families; carrying out a situational analysis of the gender roles of women through focus group discussions of problems facing women; carrying out a positive deviant observational study of selected families; designing gender equity action planning (GEAP) messages based on findings; integrating messages with existing programmes; and carrying out a GEAP discussion and a follow-up impact study of the local women's situation.

The paper describes categories of the positive deviance inquiry for change in the home as: feeding practices, health and education, decisionmaking, and day-to-day roles.


A sample of possible messages derived from this model is listed in the paper as:

1. "Let men also help in household chores."
2. "Let us end 'discrimination' between son and daughter."
3. "Decision–taking by women."
4. "Mother–in-law and daughter-in-law relation."
5. "Sisters-in-law relation."
6. "Let men also take care of children."

The author suggests that the messages are intended to lead to the discovery of "the successful feeding, caring, education, good relationship between husband and wife, in-laws and health seeking practices, which enable these families to have...[a] gender balance[d] family."

The paper includes notes on working with the positive deviant model as a tool for developing these gender equity messages, including tips, strengths, and weaknesses of the tool and discussion about the tool in a question and answer form.

Click here to access the full paper in MS Word format.