To What Extent Does Religious Orientation and Educational Attainment Deform Gendered Attitudes between Wives and Husbands?

Marriage is a practice, which changes the position of a daughter into a daughter in law, who then becomes encircled by the instructions and norms of her husband and her in-laws. Cultural and religious beliefs as well as norms are the outcomes of gendered attitudes prevailing within the society, which constructs inequalities between wives and husbands. There has been an observable difference between the ways in which wives and husbands act in a family and in a society. This research presents the implications of education and religious orientations to change gendered attitudes between wives and husbands. It is based on a qualitative assessment conducted through behavior observation of four couples, Key Informants Interview (KIIs) with 26 participants and two Focus Group Discussions (FG Ds) in the Dhanusha and Sindhuli districts of Nepal. Literature related to gender, society, culture and religion were reviewed to assess the prevailing gendered attitudes between wives and husbands. The major outcome of the study is that the misinterpretations of religious texts disempower the educational knowledge of wives and husbands. Religious education from traditional priests forms rituals, which further deform the confidence of wives. Rituals formed through religious teachings, disempower the educational knowledge for changing gendered attitudes through instructions that result in wives feeling that men are superior. Access to opportunities of income for wives potentially works towards satisfying the family's expectations by supplying the necessary items, which further contribute to change gendered attitudes between wives and husbands. Similarly, participation of people in the outdoor activities such as meetings and seminar also contribute to deforming the gendered attitudes prevailing between a wife and husband.