Avenia Ghazarian successfully defends doctoral dissertation on social norms and development
How do social norms shape women's lives, educational opportunities, and economic choices? In her doctoral dissertation, Avenia Ghazarian explores these questions through studies from Iran, Turkey, and sub-Saharan Africa. Following a successful defense, she now joins a growing community of scholars contributing new knowledge on gender and development.
On June 2, 2026, colleagues, friends and family gathered at the Stockholm School of Economics as Avenia Ghazarian, Department of Economics and House of Sustainable Society-affiliate, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation: “Essays on Social Norms, Gender, and Development”.
"A doctoral dissertation is never just a collection of papers. It’s the result of years of persistence, intellectual curiosity, and hard work. Avenia has shown all of these qualities throughout her doctoral studies, and today's successful defense is a well-deserved achievement," says Martina Björkman Nyqvist, Professor in Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics and Avenia’s primary supervisor.
The defense brought together researchers and colleagues to discuss the dissertation's findings and broader implications. The discussion was led by opponent Elif Kubilay, Associate Professor at University of Essex, who praised the dissertation's contributions to the field.
Research on social change, education, and opportunity
The dissertation consists of three chapters examining how social norms and institutions influence people's decisions and opportunities.
The first chapter studies the aftermath of Iran's "Women, Life, Freedom" movement. Using public Instagram posts collected between 2020 and 2025, the research documents a lasting increase in non-compliance with the country's compulsory hijab law after the protests. The findings also suggest that women gained greater bargaining power within households.
The second chapter (with Akib Khan) investigates how local economic opportunities affect investments in education. Focusing on artisanal gold mining in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study finds that rising gold prices reduced school attendance among young people living near mining areas, particularly boys. The results illustrate how economic growth can sometimes create tensions between immediate income opportunities and long-term educational investment.
The third chapter (with Merve Demirel) examines Turkey's removal of the university headscarf ban in 2010. The findings show that women who were more likely to wear a veil experienced significant gains in educational attainment after the reform, highlighting how restrictions on identity and religious expression can influence access to education.
Contributing to understanding social norms
Although the three studies focus on different countries and contexts, they share a common theme: how social norms and institutions shape opportunities throughout people's lives.
Together, the findings deepen our understanding of how social change occurs and how policies can affect education, gender equality, and economic development.
“Defending this dissertation felt both exciting and a little surreal after so many years of work,” says Avenia. “Throughout the project, I was driven by a desire to better understand how social norms shape people's opportunities and choices. I'm grateful to my supervisors, co-authors, colleagues, and family for their support along the way.”
Read the dissertation in full: “Essays on Social Norms, Gender, and Development”
What’s next for Avenia?
The successful defense marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. This autumn, Avenia will join the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, as a tenure-track researcher. The appointment reflects the strength of her research and will allow her to continue exploring how social norms and institutions shape opportunities and outcomes around the world.
"I'm incredibly grateful for the support I've received during my time at the Stockholm School of Economics," says Avenia. "I'm excited to take the next step and continue developing this research agenda in Milan!"
We congratulate Avenia on the successful defense of her dissertation and wishes her continued success in her future research and academic career. While she is moving on to a new role at a new university, she will remain an affiliated researcher at the House of Sustainable Society. We look forward to following the next chapters of what promises to be an exciting research career.
