Structural Equation Approach to Modeling Social Norms in Women’s Education: A Case Study of India

Studies on women’s education proxying social norms through indicators of social practice overlook three important characteristics of norms, viz., they are latent, multifaceted, and influenced by exogenous factors. To address this, we propose using the MIMIC model in a structural equation framework. This approach allows incorporating multiple social practices each of which could be imperfect manifestations of an underlying norm. Besides, it allows us to identify exogenous factors that could bring about a change in the norms. Applying it to India, we find that norms adversely affect women’s education and that the mother’s education has a norm-breaking effect while the father’s education is norm-binding.