Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso

Abstract

There are multiple tools to measure women’s economic empowerment but limited information exists about their cross-cultural validity and reliability. This study assesses the psychometric properties of ten questions measuring two dimensions of women’s economic empowerment. It uses cross-sectional data from six low-and-middle-income settings: Kinshasa and Kongo Central (Demographic Republic of Congo), Kenya, Lagos and Kano (Nigeria), and Burkina Faso. The first dimension, household decision making, was proxied by women’s power to decide household purchases on large items, daily needs, medical treatment, and clothes. This dimension was valid and reliable in all settings. The second dimension, financial autonomy, was proxied by whether women had savings, knew where to obtain financial information, and had financial goals. This dimension was valid and reliable in Kenya, Lagos, and Kano. These findings can inform future surveys aiming to measure women’s economic empowerment. HIGHLIGHTS Given gaps in WEE measurement, this study aims to identify a set of items measuring dimensions of WEE that are consistent and reliable across cultures and over time. Specifically, the study seeks to measure women’s power in household decision making and financial autonomy that would be consistent across six settings in four African countries. By summarizing dimensions of WEE into seven questions, it supports efficiency of current and future population surveys measuring women’s empowerment. The findings for women’s household decision making are consistent across settings suggesting they can be generalized to other, similar contexts.