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Paper short abstract:

Social norms in northern Nigeria interact with religion, and are evolving due to the effects of climate change, such that the practices themselves can be said to adapt to climate change.

Paper long abstract:

Cultural practices and social norms shape the ways in which individuals and communities experience and respond to a changing climate, especially in societies where culture plays a large role in how societies function. In northern Nigeria, cultural and religious practices shape daily lives and many of these norms are gendered. In this study we examine the potential of some social norms to either constrain or enable agency in addressing the effects of climate change. We specifically examine the effect of two cultural practices within households, wife seclusion (the restriction of mobility of married women) and male provisioning. These practices are underpinned by Islamic religious values. We employ a qualitative approach, using in depth interviews and focus group discussions with men and women in households in Kaduna, northern Nigeria in areas which were affected by flooding in the 2022 rainy season.

We find that these norms are not static, and evolve and shift during extreme weather events such as flooding and in response to climate induced changes to food security. The nature of the traditional strong male provisioning roles and restriction on mobility are evolving with the impact of climate related events on food security, and women are taking up more provisioning roles. We argue that these social norms are fluid, and by being dynamic, the practices themselves adapt to climate change.