In the Mind, the Household, or the Market? : Concepts and Measurement of Women's Economic Empowerment
The concept of empowerment is now widely used in several disciplines to characterize the states and social processes of individuals and communities. In economic development, the concept has come to mean women's power and agency in all economic...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/436011496234827185/In-the-mind-the-household-or-the-market-concepts-and-measurement-of-womens-economic-empowerment http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26951 |
| Summary: | The concept of empowerment is now widely
used in several disciplines to characterize the states and
social processes of individuals and communities. In economic
development, the concept has come to mean women's power
and agency in all economic domains and market-related
interactions—earning, spending, and saving income; buying,
owning, and selling assets; holding and inheriting wealth;
starting and operating a business; acquiring a bank account
or credit; and participating in or leading a union or other
form of economic collective action. Measurement has lagged
conceptualization. Most analytical research by economists,
primarily involving impact evaluation, has measured
empowerment as women's influence over household
expenditures. This is a very narrow sliver of empowerment;
not surprisingly, it is not well correlated with other
economic or social outcomes. This paper suggests measuring
empowerment in eight facets (a 4 x 2 matrix): (a) attitudes
and (b) behaviors, in the domains of (i) transactions and
markets; (ii) social interactions, including mobility and
reproductive freedom; (iii) political and civic
participation, including exercising legal rights; and (iv)
psychology, including self-confidence and ability to seek
mental health. |
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