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This study explores how information and communication technologies (ICTs) influence transforming attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV) and women's empowerment in Pakistan and Nepal. By analyzing data from married women using recent Demographic and Health Surveys, the research reveals that owning multiple ICTs is associated with decreased experiences of physical IPV and reduced acceptance of wife-beating. Notably, increased ownership of ICTs corresponds to heightened participation in household decisions. Furthermore, regular internet use further diminishes the likelihood of experiencing physical IPV and justifying wife-beating. These findings underscore ICTs' potential to empower women, reshape gender norms, and enhance decision-making autonomy. The study advocates for gender-inclusive policy interventions that leverage the transformative influence of ICTs in fostering positive sociocultural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study explores the links between sexual autonomy and selfreported reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among married Indian women using data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–2021). It also investigates heterogeneous associations of sexual autonomy, intimate partner violence, husband's controlling attitudes, women's participation in decision-making, and physical mobility with RTI. Binary logistic regression models were employed to unravel the association and interaction terms introduced in the model to assess heterogeneous associations. Results suggest that sexual autonomy was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of RTIs. Women's sexual autonomy may enable their agency to practice safer marital sexual relations, which may further translate into reducing the risk of RTIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, are generally perceived as caregivers, often performing domestic unpaid labour. In contrast, men are discerned to perform paid labour outside the home. The complex intersection of women’s unpaid domestic and men’s paid labour outside the house with gender roles in the family influences women's household decision-making. This study used a Marxist feminist framework to analyze what implications women’s unpaid domestic labour carries for household decision-making. We collected the data while conducting 19 in-depth interviews with married women. The findings reveal that women’s unpaid domestic labour, such as cleaning the house, cooking the meals, washing dishes, cleaning and pressing the clothes, and caring for the children, influences women’s role in household decisionmaking, for instance, decisions about children’s health care and education, reproduction and women’s health care, daily and major household purchases, and the decision about visiting relatives and attending social events. To ensure gender equality in the family, understanding the role of women’s unpaid labour in family relations, especially in decision-making, is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian population is ageing at a higher pace coupled with the increase in life expectancy, and the prevalence of cognitive impairment, dementia, and comorbidities increase dramatically with age. Such cognitive and physical changes are intimately linked with declines in everyday functioning that include loss of decision-making skills. The present study explored the relationship between socioeconomic and health status of older adults and their role in household decision making. The study used data from the "Building a Knowledge Base of Population Ageing in India" (BKPAI) survey conducted in 2011 (n = 9181). Descriptive statistics along with multivariate negative binomial and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. A proportion of 29.7% of older adults had no or partial involvement in household decision making and 26.5% of older adults reported that they had witnessed a decline in their role as decision-maker. The involvement of older adults in household decision making was 1.51 times lower among those who did not contribute money in household expenditure (incidence rate tatio (IRR):1.51; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24, 1.84) than those who contributed. Respondents who had low cognitive ability (IRR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.37) or had more than one disability (IRR: 1.27; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.47) were significantly 1.22 and 1.27 times less likely to have involvement in household decision making, respecctively. Older adults who reported low self-rated health (adjusted odds rati (aOR): 1.4; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.61), low general health (aOR: 2.85; 95% CI: 2.46, 3.31), low subjective wellbeing (aOR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.99, 2.64) and low IADL (aOR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.31, 1.69) were significantly more likely to report a decline in the role as a decision maker compared to their healthy counterparts. Along with the poor socioeconomic characteristics, the negative effects of cognitive and health markers of ageing further diminish the role of older adults in household decision making. Further research in the field of familial role and importance of older adults in different family settings is required in tackling a wide range of issues related to the wellbeing of the aged population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct damage from flooding at residential properties has typically been categorized as insured, with liabilities accruing to insurers, or uninsured, with costs accruing to property owners. However, residential flooding can also expose lenders and local governments to financial risk, though the distribution of this risk is not well understood. Flood losses are not limited to direct damages, but also include indirect effects such as decreases in property values, which can be substantial, though are rarely well quantified. The combination of direct damage and property value decrease influences rates of mortgage default and property abandonment in the wake of a flood, creating financial risk. In this research, property‐level data on sales, mortgages, and insurance claims are used in combination with machine learning techniques and geostatistical methods to provide estimates of flood losses that are then utilized to evaluate the risk of default and abandonment in eastern North Carolina following Hurricane Florence (2018). Within the study area, Hurricane Florence generated $366M in observed insured damages and an estimated $1.77B in combined uninsured damages and property value decreases. Property owners, lenders, and local governments were exposed to an additional $562M in potential losses due to increased rates of default and abandonment. Areas with lower pre‐flood property values were exposed to greater risk than areas with higher valued properties. Results suggest more highly resolved estimates of a flooding event's systemic financial risk may be useful in developing improved flood resilience strategies. Plain Language Summary: The financial impacts of flooding are complex and their distribution across different groups is difficult to quantify. Traditionally, the focus has been on estimating damages that directly impact insurers and property owners, but lenders and local governments can also be affected. Following a flood, uninsured damage and reductions in property value can combine to reduce a property owner's equity, hampering their ability to borrow money and recover from the flood. This can lead to mortgage default or even property abandonment, resulting in financial consequences for the property owner, the mortgage lender, and/or the local government. This research estimates uninsured damage and property value changes throughout eastern North Carolina following Hurricane Florence via a novel machine learning approach, using data on the physical characteristics of residential properties, insurance claims, property sales, and mortgages. Results indicate that uninsured damage and property value decreases combined to be substantial and this combination significantly increased risk of mortgage default and/or abandonment. Lower valued properties experienced higher rates of default and abandonment than high valued properties, with risk varying widely across communities. This type of analysis allows for property‐level assistance to be targeted toward the most vulnerable. Key Points: Estimates of uninsured flood damage and property value decrease can be used to predict rates of mortgage default and abandonmentFinancial risk, previously not well quantified, thus expands beyond property owners and insurers to include lenders and local governmentsA new analytical approach estimates $562M in financial risk from Hurricane Florence with disproportionate impact at low valued properties [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing and reducing the impacts of climate change depends on efficient actions from all societal scales. Yet, the household component is often missing from climate research, debate, and policies. This is problematic because households have been found to significantly contribute to of global greenhouse gas emissions and therefore have the potential to be part of a solution to climate change by mitigating climate change. This study seeks to understand which factors drive household-level mitigation actions. We conducted a household survey in Nuevo Leon, located in northeastern Mexico, to explore the extent to which climate change perceptions and the sociodemographic characteristics of households influence their reported mitigation performances and their perceived mitigation efforts. Results from linear regression analyses and generalized linear models revealed that sociodemographic characteristics are key drivers of the households' perceived mitigation efforts and reported mitigation performances and. We also found that climate change perceptions drive a household's efforts to mitigate climate change. These results could partly explain why despite the efforts households take to mitigate climate change, achieving an effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is challenging without further access to resources such as education and financial support. If governments intend to realize substantial reductions in future emission pathways, then household-level mitigation should be addressed with proper support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant literature links the higher bargaining power of women with favorable outcomes for the health and education of children, lower domestic abuse, and enhanced socioeconomic status. This paper examines the interplay between the financial inclusion of a woman and her intra-household bargaining power. The theoretical model predicts an ambiguous effect, wherein improvements in her well-being depend on her husband's reaction. Using household-level data from India, we show that a woman's well-being improves in many ways when she has a bank account. We use two unique instruments to address the issue of simultaneity. Placebo tests also certify our results. Our findings suggest that removing financial barriers for women increases their independence and say in household decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate surrounding the role of cousin marriage in women's autonomy, household status, and labor supply is longstanding and marked by contradictory viewpoints. Some studies suggest that cousin marriage enhances women's situation in the household, while others argue it restricts their freedoms and economic prospects. Despite this ongoing debate, quantitative investigations are limited. This study uses a sample of 15,068 married women from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18 to examine the link between cousin marriage and women's labor supply patterns. The findings suggest a modest correlation between cousin marriage and reduced paid work. However, cousin marriage appears to have a more pronounced connection with women's work at home, potentially channeling them toward unpaid work for kin. Women in cousin marriages are unlikely to experience improved status within the household compared to women in non-cousin marriages. They are also more likely to rationalize acts of spousal violence in favor of patriarchal familial roles. In this regard, cousin marriage could potentially perpetuate patriarchal gender roles by penalizing women who deviate from conventional norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite international commitment and government policies and programmes, a vast majority of women of rural India are socially and economically deprived in the patriarchal sociocultural framework. Strategies to improve women empowerment need context-specific field-based evidence. Objectives: This study was undertaken to address the research question: “Are women with a higher level of social capital more empowered than their counterparts?” Methods: A community-based cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the Wardha district of Maharashtra, where a two-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to select the 300 study subjects. The outcome variable, women empowerment was assessed using four domains: mobility, inter-spouse communication, household decision-making and asset ownership. The independent variables included social capital along with potential sociodemographic confounders. Multivariate linear regression was applied using the backward stepwise method. Results: The participants had better women empowerment percentage score in the “Household decision-making” domain compared to the other domains. The women empowerment score was found to be significantly higher in the participants with increasing age, higher education, those involved in business/service, above poverty line (ABL), nuclear family, married, and those having at least one living child. In the adjusted analysis, the social capital was found to be a significant determinant of women empowerment, along with age, education, religion, marital status and family type. Conclusion: The improvement of social capital in the form of community-based development projects through Self-Help Groups (SHG) and microfinance programmes need to be encouraged by the Government and NGOs, as this strategy has the potential to improve women empowerment through community-driven development.

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Background: Despite international commitment and government policies and programmes, a vast majority of women of rural India are socially and economically deprived in the patriarchal sociocultural framework. Strategies to improve women empowerment need context-specific field-based evidence. Objectives: This study was undertaken to address the research question: "Are women with a higher level of social capital more empowered than their counterparts?" Methods: A community-based cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the Wardha district of Maharashtra, where a two-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to select the 300 study subjects. The outcome variable, women empowerment was assessed using four domains: mobility, inter-spouse communication, household decision-making and asset ownership. The independent variables included social capital along with potential sociodemographic confounders. Multivariate linear regression was applied using the backward stepwise method. Results: The participants had better women empowerment percentage score in the "Household decision-making" domain compared to the other domains. The women empowerment score was found to be significantly higher in the participants with increasing age, higher education, those involved in business/service, above poverty line (ABL), nuclear family, married, and those having at least one living child. In the adjusted analysis, the social capital was found to be a significant determinant of women empowerment, along with age, education, religion, marital status and family type. Conclusion: The improvement of social capital in the form of community-based development projects through Self-Help Groups (SHG) and microfinance programmes need to be encouraged by the Government and NGOs, as this strategy has the potential to improve women empowerment through community-driven development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ignoring the responses of local households to ecological protection policies can not only seriously limit sustainable development of the alpine grassland ecosystem, but also not improve livelihood on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). It is of vital importance to clearly understand coupling feedback and trigger between household decision-making of local herdsmen with the implementation of ecological protection policies. We selected Sanjiangyuan National Park (SNP) as the study area which was in the hinterland of the QTP and the first national park in China. We used the global rangeland (G-Range) model to simulate alpine grassland changes and DEcisions under Conditions of Uncertainty by Modeled Agents (DECUMA) model to identify household decision-making of local herdsmen. Results showed that: (1) distribution of livestock density was basically consistent with the distribution of habitat suitability of local households in the SNP; (2) more than half of the uneducated households (52 and 70%) opposed the eco-compensation and eco-migration policies; (3) most of the households (53.7%) never traded livestock for maintaining their livelihood; and (4) When local households owed 65,000 yuan (≈10,000 dollars) in debts, as the critical value (trigger), they traded livestock to support their livelihood. We suggest that feedback and trigger of household decision-making should be fully considered by managers of national park and policymakers of local governments in planning ecological protection policies to maintain sustainable development of alpine grassland, which is of practical significance to long-term conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources in the SNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agricultural research for development adoption of new technology tends to be cast in categories: adoption, partial adoption, dis-adoption or non-adoption. While these may serve for pragmatic classification and measures for project success or impact they fail to properly acknowledge the ongoing and independent efforts of farmers (and others) in experimentation and integration of knowledge across a range of sources. This paper explores responses to practices for cattle management introduced during a research project, at project close, and five years after the project has finished. We consider the perceptions and application of new knowledge by farmers, extension staff, and policy makers. By taking a longer-term view, we demonstrate how farming households adapt and integrate knowledge from different sources into their daily practice, influenced by local institutions and changing cultural expectations, as well as external researchers. We also consider the influence of changing government priorities and incentives in steering farm-management decisions. Results suggest that a focus on measures to build capacity and empower farmers with information to adapt and respond to change, regardless of project activities, is a much more important goal and indicator of impact than measuring adoption. • Considers household decision making process for 'adoption' of new technology. • Analysis years after interventions finish show ongoing farmer adaptation of practices. • Enabling long-term change requires alignment with policy across scales. • A focus on capacity building, rather than adoption, will be more impactful over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research examines the relationship between the migration of men and the empowerment of women who remain in the households. The study looks at Nigeria - a Sub-Saharan African country with the highest migration outflows and prevalent gender inequality. The core research question is to examine whether the migration of men affects the entrepreneurship and empowerment of Nigerian women. For the purpose of this study, private entrepreneurship will state the employment status of women from both migrant and non-migrant households while the amount of housework and degree of decision-making power will constitute empowerment. The data is obtained from Nigerian General Household Survey 2018-2019. The sample used in the current analysis consists of 12,199 women, 15 years and older. The Ordinary Least Squares model is applied to assess the changes men's migration might bring to the housework of women who remain in the household. Logit regression addresses the entrepreneurship and decision-making power of women in Nigeria. Probit regression serves as a robustness check for Logit, and as a separate econometric model. The findings generally support the pre-experiment expectations: migration of men decreases the amount of housework of women in Nigeria, encourages them to run businesses, but reduces their decision-making power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low rate of technology adoption has long been a key constraint on improving productivity, income and yields in farming, particularly in developing countries where market-based systems of production are not well developed, the subsistence economy remains strong, land is held under communal tenure and family labour is the backbone of production. We examine four case studies of technology adoption to explore key socio-economic factors facilitating or constraining adoption. Our case studies cover an array of adoption situations from different parts of the developing world: 1. The socio-cultural barriers to the adoption of new technologies to control Cocoa Pod Borer in Papua New Guinea; 2. The role of land pressure on differential adoption rates of cocoassie yams amongst ethnic groups in Ivory Coast; 3. Past agricultural practices and their influence on adoption of a new planting pattern and selected oil palm planting material in Cameroon; 4. Taking account of gender relations to facilitate successful adoption of a new oil palm initiative for women smallholders in Papua New Guinea. • We examined four case studies of technology adoption from Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Papua New Guinea. • Socio-cultural factors play an important role in determining adoption outcomes. • We use the concept of disruptive innovation to assess farmers' propensity to adopt or not adopt. • Technologies that disrupt socio-cultural and moral frameworks are less likely to be adopted. • Communities under stress will adopt culturally disruptive technologies if they relieve that stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ignoring the responses of local households to ecological protection policies can not only seriously limit sustainable development of the alpine grassland ecosystem, but also not improve livelihood on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). It is of vital importance to clearly understand coupling feedback and trigger between household decision-making of local herdsmen with the implementation of ecological protection policies. We selected Sanjiangyuan National Park (SNP) as the study area which was in the hinterland of the QTP and the first national park in China. We used the global rangeland (G-Range) model to simulate alpine grassland changes and DEcisions under Conditions of Uncertainty by Modeled Agents (DECUMA) model to identify household decision-making of local herdsmen. Results showed that: (1) distribution of livestock density was basically consistent with the distribution of habitat suitability of local households in the SNP; (2) more than half of the uneducated households (52 and 70%) opposed the eco-compensation and eco-migration policies; (3) most of the households (53.7%) never traded livestock for maintaining their livelihood; and (4) When local households owed 65,000 yuan (≈10,000 dollars) in debts, as the critical value (trigger), they traded livestock to support their livelihood. We suggest that feedback and trigger of household decision-making should be fully considered by managers of national park and policymakers of local governments in planning ecological protection policies to maintain sustainable development of alpine grassland, which is of practical significance to long-term conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources in the SNP.

The threats associated with climate change and the worsening ecological crisis have led to a growing interest in energy-conservation policies. Policymakers across the globe have been scrambling to find cost-effective and sustainable methods to meet the world’s growing energy demands. Traditional policies have so far largely focused on supply-side interventions aimed at encouraging energy efficiency via green innovation and new technologies. However, as several studies have indicated, supply-side policies alone are unlikely to be adequate to achieve the ambitious changes required to make our future sustainable. This review article draws on recent studies in behavioural economics to emphasize the need to reorient public policy towards altering consumer end-uses through behavioural interventions. In an attempt to draw out important lessons for public policy, the article reviews this emerging strand of literature and underlines the complex factors that influence energy consumption in a household.

Using panel data, this study tracks the impact of reproductive transitions on women's status in the household in India. Here, status refers to the social benefits that women experience by meeting societal expectations related to childbearing. The analysis shows that becoming a mother is associated with increased freedom of movement and access to enabling resources. The adoption of permanent contraception—a common life course event marking the end of childbearing in India—is associated with increased freedom of movement but has no association with changes in access to enabling resources. Household decision-making, another dimension of women's status examined in the paper, is less dynamic over time and there is limited evidence of its association with reproductive transitions. The findings illustrate the tight linkages between household power dynamics and the life course in the South Asian context, and highlight the centrality of women's role as mothers in determining their social position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household norms have been shown to influence energy efficiency behaviors, but little is known about the relative influence of household norms when compared to other established drivers of household efficiency behaviors, such as comfort‐seeking, environmental concern and cost sensitivity. This paper unpacks the nature of the influence of household norms on household efficiency behaviors, whether as antecedents, mediating the influence of other drivers or a direct influence on efficiency behaviors. Responses from 775 households in regional Australia were analyzed to test six hypotheses. Results suggest that household norms are among the most important variables influencing household efficiency behaviors. They have a strong and significant influence on curtailment and investment behaviors, mediate the relationship between established drivers of efficiency and efficiency behaviors and influence the drivers of efficiency. These findings demonstrate the importance of household norms for improving the energy efficiency of households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to see the relationship between the educational levels of the elderly in their attitude towards their age and their household decision-making. 300 elderly participants, ages varying from 60 to 80 years, were selected by stratified random sampling technique from Paschim Vihar, Vikas Puri, and Janakpuri areas of Delhi. The participants were classified into three groups: less educated (N=49), moderately educated (N=65), and highly educated (N=186). These participants were administered Attitude towards old age schedule (Palmore, E. 1977) and Household decision-making scale (Van Willigen and Chadha in1989) individually. It was found that in terms of household decision-making, a significant difference was found in the purchase of home appliances, furniture and in deciding children’s schooling.In terms of overall decision-making, no difference was found between groups one and two, but there were differences between groups one and three, and groups two and three. Secondarily, it was found that the attitude of the elderly didn’t vary with education levels, i.e. no statistically significant difference was found between the three groups. The research can be further used to create meaningful interventions for the elderly to improve their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women face severe gender-specific constraints and have minimal part in the farm decision-making systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This leads to additional barriers in the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies. This paper contributes to the gender debate by focusing on intra-household gender dynamics that influence the adaptive capacities of small-holder farmers. Using a multi-country approach, and considering Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania as case studies, an endogenous-switching poisson regression model was conducted to (i) assess factors influencing the probability of women's engagement in agricultural technology decision-making; (ii) ascertain the effect of women's participation in farm decision-making on climate-smart agriculture adoption. The findings indicate a degree of complexity in women's roles within their communities and family contexts. While in Malawi women participating in the farm decision-making process positively affects CSA adoption, in the other countries their role remains marginal or negatively related with farm sustainability. Such women's empowerment is indeed influenced by the existence of social, regulatory, and cultural elements that uniquely define the considered countries. Context-specific policies that prioritize rural-women, youths, and other marginalized groups can enhance CSA adoption and thereby contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals such as gender equality, climate action and zero hunger in developing contexts. [Display omitted] • The CSA adoption by women is influenced by their involvement in intra-household decision-making. • In Malawi, women's involvement in decision-making positively influences CSA adoption. • Socio-cultural drivers of women involvment in decision-making settings are context-specific. • In Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa land ownership influences women's authority. • CSA policies should be context-sensitive and prioritize marginalized groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of fathers receiving social grants in the decision-making process in poor rural households. Data were collected from a sample of 195 respondents. Data-collection methods included in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires. The findings revealed that fathers receiving social grants, together with their partners were jointly making household decisions, even though they were the ones contributing more income to the household. It was found that economic factors play a critical role in positioning other household members in decision-making. We conclude that co-operative bargaining, resulting in the distribution of power in the decision-making process, is relatively prominent in most poor rural households. The authors provide some practical social work recommendations.

The aim of this study is to explore the links between female autonomy in household decision-making and intimate partner violence in a highly relevant yet under-studied context: Pakistan. Using a nationally representative dataset, and employing matching and partial identification estimation approaches, we show that an increase in female autonomy in household decision-making is associated with a decrease in the probability of experiencing intimate partner violence. Moreover, female autonomy is also associated with lower tolerance for intimate partner violence. Our results call for a greater focus on female autonomy in policy efforts concerned with reducing intimate partner violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract During hurricanes, flooding and wind cause property damage and loss of life. Increased coastal development and recent economic impacts of hurricanes has increased stakeholders' interest in coastal mitigation. Through the use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study focuses on factors that impact the intention of homeowners to mitigate. Methodologically, surveys were sent to a random sample of 2,500 coastal North Carolina homeowners who provided insights about their hurricane and mitigation experiences. The sample was purchased from Genesys, which utilises the postal service's database to randomly select addresses. Binary logistic regression was used to compute homeowners' intention to adopt eight separate mitigation actions for their homes. The findings show limited support on the influence of emotion and risk perception on intention to mitigate. However, the findings clearly support the relationships between intention to mitigate and the influence of others and perceptions of the characteristics of the mitigation actions. The significance of the findings indicates the importance of utilising these factors in future studies to better understand mitigation decision‐making and to inform future mitigation policies and programs.

The transformation of global agri-food systems has led to the increased establishment of export-oriented horticultural plantations in developing countries. These labor intense production sites are associated with feminized employment patterns and therefore can provide more paid work opportunities for women in rural areas. The social implications of these developments for women's empowerment remain hardly understood; which is why we investigate empowerment among female workers in the pineapple sector in Ghana, in this paper. Our data set contains primary survey data of 420 married households in Ghana, living in areas of large-scale pineapple plantations. We apply entropy balancing, a new re-weighting technique, and combine this with regression analysis. Our regression results show that female employment has a statistically significant and positive effect on overall household income, female income share, female income and asset ownership and a negative effect on female reproductive workload. We also assess the effect of sole male employment and find that it has a negative effect on female household income share, female income and the female spouse's ability to sell assets and a positive effect on reproductive workload. Neither female nor male employment alone but only joint horticultural employment of both spouses seems to lead to female spouses having more input into household decision-making. Our findings for the pineapple sector in Ghana suggest that large-scale, export-oriented horticultural plantations can contribute to women's empowerment through employment creation for both male and female workers. • Horticultural production sites provide jobs in rural areas, particularly for women. • Female horticultural employment has a positive effect on female economic resources. • Male horticultural employment has a negative effect on female economic resources. • Only joint employment leads to more household decision-making for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During hurricanes, flooding and wind cause property damage and loss of life. Increased coastal development and recent economic impacts of hurricanes has increased stakeholders' interest in coastal mitigation. Through the use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study focuses on factors that impact the intention of homeowners to mitigate. Methodologically, surveys were sent to a random sample of 2,500 coastal North Carolina homeowners who provided insights about their hurricane and mitigation experiences. The sample was purchased from Genesys, which utilises the postal service's database to randomly select addresses. Binary logistic regression was used to compute homeowners' intention to adopt eight separate mitigation actions for their homes. The findings show limited support on the influence of emotion and risk perception on intention to mitigate. However, the findings clearly support the relationships between intention to mitigate and the influence of others and perceptions of the characteristics of the mitigation actions. The significance of the findings indicates the importance of utilising these factors in future studies to better understand mitigation decision‐making and to inform future mitigation policies and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2005, Nigeria adopted the Reach Every Ward strategy to improve vaccination coverage for children, 0–23 months. By 2015, Ogun state had full coverage in 12 of its 20 local government areas but eight had pockets of unimmunized children, with the highest burden (37%) in Remo-North. This study aimed to identify factors in Remo-North influencing the use of immunization services, in order to inform intervention approaches to tackle barriers to immunization utilization.Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using mixed methods including a survey of caregivers of 215 children, 25 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in immunization service delivery and 16 focus group discussions with community men and women (n = 98). Two wards (Ilara and Ipara) were purposively chosen for the study. Data was analyzed using the SAGE Working Group Vaccine Hesitancy model.Results: Only 56 children (32.6%) of the 172 children over 9 months of age had immunization cards available for inspection. Of these, 23 (59.6%) were fully immunized, noticeably higher in Ipara than Ilara. However, when immunization status was assessed by card and recall, 84.9% of the children were assessed as fully immunized. Caregivers in the more rural Ilara had less knowledge of vaccine schedules. The importance of all doses was recognized more by Ipara respondents (95.5%) than in Ilara (75.3%) (p < 0.05). Community links to immunization and household decision-making patterns influenced immunization use in both wards. Migrants and those living in hard-to-reach areas were disadvantaged in both wards. Health service factors like absence of delivery services, shortage of health workers, unavailability of vaccines at scheduled times, and indirect costs of immunization contributed to low utilization.Conclusion: Immunization utilization was influenced by interlinked community and health services issues. Intervention approaches should ensure that communities' priorities are addressed, actors at both levels involved and strategies are adjusted to suit contexts.

Marriages between blood relatives—also known as consanguineous unions—are widespread in North Africa, Central and West Asia, and South Asia. Researchers have suggested that consanguinity has adverse effects on child development, but assessing its impact is not straightforward, as the decision to marry a relative might be endogenous to other socio-economic factors. Using a unique data set collected in rural Pakistan, this paper assesses the extent to which consanguinity is linked to children's cognitive and physical development. It exploits grandfathers' land ownership (current and past) and maternal grandparent mortality to identify the effect of endogenous consanguinity on child development. Children born into consanguineous unions have lower cognitive scores, lower height-for-age, and a higher likelihood of being severely stunted. More importantly, adverse effects are greater after accounting for the endogeneity of consanguinity, suggesting that impacts on child development are substantial, and likely to be larger than suggested in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between changes in individual beliefs and behaviours, couple relationship dynamics and gender norms – and how interventions can influence these. It draws on longitudinal qualitative research with heterosexual couples who participated in the Indashyikirwa programme in Rwanda. The couples followed a curriculum designed to improve relationship skills and reduce the gender-inequitable beliefs, behaviours and norms that underpin intimate partner violence. Qualitative findings show that the programme resulted in moderate, but significant, positive 'shifts' in individual beliefs and behaviours, couple relationship dynamics and levels of inequality - increasing men's engagement in domestic duties, women's participation in household decision making, and women's access to economic resources. They also suggest which parts of the couples' curriculum were most effective in catalysing these changes. However, the data also show that these 'shifts' occurred without fully transforming deeply-entrenched beliefs and norms around gender roles and male authority over economic resources. The paper suggests that the persistence of these beliefs and norms constrained the extent of changes among couples – and could potentially constrain their longevity and act as an obstacle to longer-term, larger-scale changes in gender inequalities and violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between changes in individual beliefs and behaviours, couple relationship dynamics and gender norms - and how interventions can influence these. It draws on longitudinal qualitative research with heterosexual couples who participated in the Indashyikirwa programme in Rwanda. The couples followed a curriculum designed to improve relationship skills and reduce the gender-inequitable beliefs, behaviours and norms that underpin intimate partner violence. Qualitative findings show that the programme resulted in moderate, but significant, positive 'shifts' in individual beliefs and behaviours, couple relationship dynamics and levels of inequality - increasing men's engagement in domestic duties, women's participation in household decision making, and women's access to economic resources. They also suggest which parts of the couples' curriculum were most effective in catalysing these changes. However, the data also show that these 'shifts' occurred without fully transforming deeply-entrenched beliefs and norms around gender roles and male authority over economic resources. The paper suggests that the persistence of these beliefs and norms constrained the extent of changes among couples - and could potentially constrain their longevity and act as an obstacle to longer-term, larger-scale changes in gender inequalities and violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Value chains and agricultural commercialization are increasingly being promoted as mechanisms for agricultural transformation, inclusive growth, and—more recently—improving food security and diets. Donors and implementers promote production of nutritious crops as a mechanism for improving the quality and diversity of diets of the rural poor. However, while there is a theoretical basis for this, there is a need for a deeper empirical understanding of how, under what circumstances, and through what pathways own-production of nutritious foods improves diets. This study examines the sociocultural drivers of gendered household decisions to produce and sell or consume nutritious crops, based on analysis of 80 in-depth interviews with women and men in three regions of Malawi. Respondents define all food crops as nutritious and marketable and emphasize maize-security over other more nutrient-dense food crops. The findings provide an in-depth understanding of diet patterns and preferences in the study population. It becomes clear that a sophisticated evaluation procedure guides household production, sale, and consumption decisions wherein a wide range of criteria are considered. In addition, insights emerge on the role of gendered structural domains in these decisions, dismissing a clear dichotomy of men's crops and women's crops and supporting a more nuanced and diverse view of these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how partners in a couple share domestic work according to the woman's investment in career. Investment is measured relatively to other women or to the partner. While previous studies mainly focused on the influence of wages and earnings, we extend them by considering more dimensions describing the intensity of the woman's attachment to the labour market. We use the 2010 French Time Use survey to estimate a model of household division of labour in dual earner couples. We find that the more women are invested in career, the less domestic work they perform during weekdays, which is partly substituted by their partners but only on weekend days. The sharing of tasks is thus less unequal in those couples. However, women still spend more time than their partners on average performing domestic work, even when the woman outperforms him in career, implying no role reversal in the division of labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Although a large body of studies documents that women’s autonomy in the household is associated with better reproductive health outcomes, these studies typically examined autonomy only from women’s point of view. The current study employs husband’s and wife’s perspectives together to examine the relationship between the decision-making arrangements in the household and the women’s use of modern contraceptives in Bangladesh. Methods The study used the couple dataset of 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. The sample was comprised of 3336 married couples. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between the selected items on household decision-making and the use of modern contraceptives. Results Our results indicate that the couples disagree considerably as to who in the household exercises the decision-making power. The pattern of decision-making regarding visiting family and relatives emerged as an important predictor of use of modern contraceptives in the multivariate regression analysis. The results suggest that compared to the couple’s concordant joint decision-making, the husband-only decision-making is associated with lower odds of contraceptives use (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.28–0.85). Only a small part of this association is explained by spousal communication about family planning issues while the socio-demographic correlates hardly affected the association. On the contrary, the wife-only decision-making did not result in increased contraceptives use (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.45–1.13). Conclusions The study findings imply that women’s greater autonomy may not necessarily result in improved reproductive health behavior, and therefore, a balance of power in the spousal relationship is warranted.

The world's poor are seeing a rapid expansion in access to formal savings accounts. What is the source of savings when households are connected to a formal account? We combine a high-frequency panel survey spanning two and a half years with an experiment in which a Sri Lankan bank used mobile Point-of-Service (POS) terminals to collect deposits directly from households each week. We find that the headwaters of formal savings lie in sacrificed leisure time: households work more, and improved savings options generate an increase in labour effort in both self-employment and in the wage market. The results suggest that the labour allocation channel is an important mechanism linking savings opportunities to income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines dynamics of women's autonomy in household decision-making in Ghana. Using 57 in-depth interviews with married women and men, purposively selected in Accra (Greater Accra region) and Tamale (Northern region) reveal that culture and religion shape power structures and gender roles in household decision-making. Important in the socialisation process are religious institutions that reinforce the status quo in household decision-making. While men insist on maintaining the status quo in household decision-making, women do not contest it. Despite men's authority in household decision-making, women are active players in the household decision-making process. When decisions are not in their favour, they employ tactics such as 'taking decisions without their partners' consent', involving 'significant others', and 'nagging' to get decisions to turn in their favour. However, there appears to be socially acceptable punishments for women making household decisions without their partners consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asset transfer programmes can be effective when working with the extreme poor, who are usually excluded from microfinance and other mainstream poverty alleviation programmes. As women are overrepresented amongst the extreme poor, they are often the targets of such programmes, yet the structural inequalities that lead to their poverty are deeply entrenched and may prevent them from maximising the potential benefits. This paper uses qualitative data gathered from beneficiaries of the Economic Empowerment of the Poorest Programme (EEP/Shiree) in Bangladesh to show that women's preferences for livestock and home-based businesses are influenced by the constraints on their mobility and free time, as well as their confidence in their own abilities. It also explores how gender dynamics within the household can influence asset selection and therefore impact on the outcomes of asset selection programmes. The paper then goes on to question the ability of market-based poverty reduction strategies to empower extreme poor women given their inability to create the level of gender-transformative change necessary for them to be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ability to influence household decision-making has been shown to increase with improved social capital and power and is linked to better access to household financial resources and other services outside the household including healthcare. To examine the male-female differences in household custody of financial resources, decision-making, and type of healthcare utilised, we used a mixed methods approach of cross-sectional household surveys and focus-group discussions (FGDs). Data was collected between 10 January–28 February 2011. We analyzed a sample of 411 households and a sub-sample of 223 households with a currently married head. We conducted six single-sex FGDs in 3 communities (1 urban, 2 rural) among a random sub-sample of participants in the survey. We performed univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses with a 95% confidence interval. For the qualitative data, we performed thematic analysis where broad themes relevant to the research objective were abstracted. In all households and in those with a married head, sick male members were less likely to forgo healthcare (aOR all 0.87, 95% CI 0.80–0.90; aOR married 0.52, 95% CI 0.18–0.83) and more likely to utilise formal healthcare relative to female sick members (aOR all 3.36, 95% CI 3.20–3.87; aOR married 19.50, 95% CI 9.62–39.52). Formal healthcare providers are medically trained while informal providers are untrained vendors that dispense medications for profit. There were more reports of sole custody of household resources among men within households with married heads. Joint decision-making on healthcare expenditure improved women's access to healthcare but is not reflective of unhindered access to household financial resources. Qualitatively, women spoke of seeking permission from male household head before expenditure was incurred, while male heads spoke of concealing household financial resources from their spouse. Gender constructs and male-female differences have important effects on household resource allocation and healthcare utilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although a large body of studies documents that women's autonomy in the household is associated with better reproductive health outcomes, these studies typically examined autonomy only from women's point of view. The current study employs husband's and wife's perspectives together to examine the relationship between the decision-making arrangements in the household and the women's use of modern contraceptives in Bangladesh.Methods: The study used the couple dataset of 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. The sample was comprised of 3336 married couples. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between the selected items on household decision-making and the use of modern contraceptives.Results: Our results indicate that the couples disagree considerably as to who in the household exercises the decision-making power. The pattern of decision-making regarding visiting family and relatives emerged as an important predictor of use of modern contraceptives in the multivariate regression analysis. The results suggest that compared to the couple's concordant joint decision-making, the husband-only decision-making is associated with lower odds of contraceptives use (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.28-0.85). Only a small part of this association is explained by spousal communication about family planning issues while the socio-demographic correlates hardly affected the association. On the contrary, the wife-only decision-making did not result in increased contraceptives use (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.45-1.13).Conclusions: The study findings imply that women's greater autonomy may not necessarily result in improved reproductive health behavior, and therefore, a balance of power in the spousal relationship is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary In this paper, we consider whether it is the gender of the decision maker or the extent of agency that they wield that is crucial to increasing household welfare. This is an important question as development policy is often formed on the basis that placing resources in the hands of women results in greater household welfare. Indonesia provides the ideal opportunity to study this issue because it is home to ethnic groups with very different gender norms from male dominance (the patrilineal Batak) to female dominance (the matrilineal Minangkabau). Using IFLS data for three rounds, we consider the impact of decision-making by the dominant spouse on household expenditure on education. We find that, in Indonesia, when the dominant spouse (male or female) has sole control of decision-making, there is an overall negative impact on education expenditure. This leads us to argue that it is more important to consider the issue of spousal dominance, than to wholly focus on gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]