Abstract
Abstract Women’s decisionmaking indicators are widely used in social science research, though insufficient attention is given to measurement issues. We interrogate variations in indicator construction using survey experiments undertaken in the context of transfer programs in Ecuador, Yemen, and Uganda. Findings show that small variations can lead to meaningful differences in how women are ranked on decisionmaking, as well as change conclusions on whether programs have significant impacts on decisionmaking. Results also raise questions as to how well indicators capture dimensions of empowerment as they are not consistently associated with measures of women’s status. Finally, in the context of Uganda, results indicate that measures are susceptible to social desirability bias, however further investigation is needed to assess this potential. We conclude that choices made in indicator construction matter and in the absence of standardized guidance, current practice is ad-hoc. Further, despite the wide use of these indicators, evaluating program success on women’s empowerment solely through standard decisionmaking indicators is not recommended. Finally, measurement innovation utilizing context-specific understanding of intra-household dynamics is needed.
Highlights
Women’s empowerment is increasingly seen as a crosscutting issue in development programming: is the field motivated by an intrinsic concern for gender equality, but women’s empowerment is perceived as a means to achieve development goals
An indicator can be captured at differing levels of aggregation; can be measured more or less directly; and can be a strong predictor but not change in response to new intervention
We aim to shed light on them using a multicountry study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from 2010 to 2012
Summary
Women’s empowerment is increasingly seen as a crosscutting issue in development programming: is the field motivated by an intrinsic concern for gender equality, but women’s empowerment is perceived as a means to achieve development goals. The latter dimension stems from research demonstrating that more resource control by mothers (relative to fathers) is associated with a larger share of resources allocated to improving children’s well-being, including through schooling and nutrition investments (for example, see Hoddinott and Haddad 1995 in Cote d’Ivoire; Thomas 1997 in Brazil; and Quisumbing and Maluccio 2000 in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and South Africa). A final challenge is that dimensions and indicators are culturally and setting specific, further hampering the ability to make generalized and consistent conclusions across studies and geographic regions
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