Culture of honour and the stigma of abortion

Access to safe abortion is critical for women’s health, but women are stigmatised for seeking out an abortion due to social norms regarding gender roles and sexuality. This abortion stigma is likely more prevalent in U.S. cultures of honour (primarily southern and western states), where women’s reputation for sexual purity is paramount to their status. To test this possibility, we examined the relationship between honour and abortion-related outcomes at both the state and individual levels. At the state-level, we found that abortion rates were lower in honour (v. dignity) states after controlling for covariates. At the individual-level, we found that endorsement of feminine honour norms was associated with abortion stigma (Study 2) and indirectly linked with support for abortion concealment through anticipated stigma and shame (Study 3). Lastly, using a series of vignettes describing different scenarios in which a woman received an abortion (e.g. rape, relationship difficulties), we found that feminine honour endorsement was associated with decreased support for abortions and stigmatising attitudes toward the woman receiving an abortion (Study 4). Findings elucidate the relationship between honour norms and social stigma around abortion and enhance insights into how cultural processes may influence women’s decision making and access to care.