The author goes on to illustrate how cultural norms which affect today’s Malaysian Tamil women influence the beliefs they espouse (as expounded on in the preceding chapter) and these women’s socioeconomic status. The author encountered challenges during the interview phase, as she found that on multiple occasions, different cultural norms in the Malaysian Tamil community got in the way of the interview process. Most women who were her respondents deferred to the authority of either their husbands or even their mothers-in-law when it came to consent, with some even rescinding their participation. These responses belied an unawareness of these held gender beliefs by the participants and a reluctance to challenge existing cultural norms which were accepted as part and parcel of their circumstances. These gender norms which the author observed in her participants were categorised into four themes, resource allocation, role-modelling, and systems of reward and punishment. Each category was illustrated with interview excerpts and reflected both traditional and egalitarian beliefs.