Women’s agency in household economic decision making in Kenya

Abstract

The misalignment between economic strengthening opportunities and women’s agency is especially salient given the connection between women’s economic empowerment and household well-being. Using Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014 data, we examine married women’s agency in household economic decision making. Women who are less likely to characterize abusive patterns of behavior as problematic and women reporting emotional abuse are less likely to report economic autonomy in the household. Furthermore, data indicate little congruence in perceptions of wife’s household economic autonomy between couples. These findings point to the need to understand the interplay among structural factors, gender, marital status, and the financial well-being of married persons.