Household Decision-making Process Research Articles

Social networks and societal position are key drivers of the spiritual well-being of the parents of migrants in rural West Bengal

ABSTRACT India has been upholding the traditional custom of multigenerational co-residence and is well known for its spiritual legacy. However, the era of globalization and urbanization has reshaped family structures, with adult migration influencing older parents’ spiritual journeys. The study investigates the differences in spiritual well-being among parents of migrants and non-migrants and the influence of social-familial position and social network on spiritual well-being using a cross-sectional survey conducted by 500 elderly parents. The study revealed that the mean score of spiritual well-being was significantly lower among parents of migrants compared to parents of non-migrants. Social networks enhance the spiritual well-being of elderly parents considerably. Social networks enhance spiritual well-being, particularly for parents of migrants, to a greater extent than among parents of non-migrants. Moreover, the study found that household decision-making roles emerged as a significant predictor of spiritual well-being, with more substantial effects observed among parents of migrants compared to non-migrants. Policymakers and social services providers should focus on strengthening social network structures for elderly parents, especially for parents of migrants. This could foster more robust social networks and empower older individuals to participate in household decision-making processes, which will ensure better spiritual well-being in the context of adult-child migration.

Integrating nutrition in the Sasakawa Africa Association extension services: Knowledge, attitude and practices among smallholder farmers

This survey aimed to establish nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and practices, and to observe how gender influences household food-related decision-making processes in the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) intervention areas in the Oromia and Southern Nation Nationalities and People regions of Ethiopia. The findings would inform implementation of communication for nutrition social and behaviour change among small-holder farmers as part of the SAA corporate strategy on nutrition-sensitive agriculture. The study population was smallholder farmers supported by SAA from which 311 respondents were selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected via a mixed methods approach consisting of a household survey, focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed using a narrative and content approach. The study focused on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to production and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. Majority (59.5%) of the respondents were male. Men were the main decision makers on staple or commercial food crop production and proportion of produced crops to be consumed at home or sold in the market. Women mainly made decisions regarding production and consumption of fruits and vegetables, intra-household food distribution, preservation and storage. There was a lack of knowledge on iron and vitamin A fortified or biofortified sources of food. Nearly three quarters (72%) of women did not meet the minimum dietary diversity for women, a proxy indicator of adequacy of micronutrient intake and diet quality. The mean dietary diversity score was 3.8 with animal source foods being the least consumed. Not having sufficient money to buy food, unavailability of different food groups and poor intra-household food distribution were among the key reasons for lack of diverse diets. Majority of the respondents were aware of the importance of production and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. However, there was a gap in practice and awareness about biofortified and fortified foods. While most of the respondents had produced fruits and vegetables in home gardens in the three months prior to this survey, more than half (54%) of the respondents thought it was not likely that they would produce fruits and vegetables for home consumption. More targeted nutrition campaigns are required to increase the ability of small-holder farmers to adopt best practices while reducing the barriers associated with access and consumption. Promotion of fruit and vegetable production in home gardens could be considered as option for improving household dietary quality as well as empowering women to make more decisions. Key words: Sasakawa Africa Association, Small-holder farmers, Nutrition, Knowledge, Practices

Women's autonomy and completion of continuum of care in maternal healthcare

Abstract Background In low- and middle-income countries, interventions to improve maternal health services throughout pregnancy, during labor, and after delivery are often targeted independently. For health optimization, it is important to adopt a more comprehensive approach and identify factors that hinder women's continuum of care (CoC) in maternal health services. This study aimed to assess the association between women's autonomy and completion of CoC in maternal health services in India. Methods Using the fifth National Family Health Survey, 25,515 women aged 15-49 years who had births in the past five years were analyzed. Women's autonomy was determined based on their control over decision-making (either by themselves or jointly with husband/partner) about healthcare utilization, large purchases, visits to family/relatives, and spending of money. Women were considered as having completed CoC in maternal health services if they received at least eight antenatal care visits, gave birth in health facility with skilled birth attendants, and received postnatal care within 24 hours of birth. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed. Results Overall, 64.55% of women were identified as having autonomy and 13.68% had completed CoC in maternal health services. Women's autonomy was associated with significantly increased odds of completing CoC in maternal health services (AORs: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05-1.36), after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates. Conclusions Despite substantial progress made on maternal health services, completion of CoC remains low in India. Fostering a social climate to promote women's autonomy should be considered in comprehensive interventions to ensure completion of CoC for healthy pregnancy. Key messages • In India, the percentage of women who received full completion of care (CoC) in maternal healthcare services remained low. • Women's autonomy was significantly associated with higher CoC in maternal health services, highlighting the significance of women's participation in the household decision-making process.

Perception About Household Decision-Making Process on Obtaining Maternal Health Services Among the Employed Women of Dhaka City

Reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and ensuring maternal and new-born health have been one of the central goals of healthcare system in Bangladesh. In that connection care during and after pregnancy, especially antenatal and delivery, is critical to monitor the status of pregnancy both for mother as well as for expected new-born baby. The role of women’s decision-making in reproductive health is crucial one. This study intends to understand the role of household decision-making in obtaining maternal health services- its patterns access and reasons by using qualitative methods. The approaches are employed to explain woman’s decision-making process to utilize the service facilities. The findings of the study illustrate that decision-making processes should be understood and recognized in a wider social environment and as a multifaceted process that is closely tangled with local belief systems and social relationships. Combined knowledge of social images, women’s requirements and expectations can play an important role in confirming broader and more effective coverage of maternal healthcare, health authorities and to those in charge of maternal care services. Social Science Review, Vol. 38(2), December 2021 Page 105-116

Intra-Household Decision-Making and their Effects on Women Dietary Diversity: Evidence from Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This paper attempts to analyze the status of women in household decision-making processes and their effects on dietary diversity in Ethiopia. The results indicate that men and women do not have equal decision-making authority within a household when it comes, particularly to decisions on food crop production, proportion of produced crop consumed at home and to be sold out in the market, and income generating activities. The results show variations in minimum dietary diversity for women across regions in Ethiopia. Therefore, more emphasis needed to empower women to improve their benefit from agricultural production and other income generating activities in Ethiopia.

The Household Consumption Decision of Staple Food Purchase in the Midst the Covid-19 Pandemic

Covid-19 has brought surprising changes in the household behavior pattern and decision-making process in consuming food. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) identify household consumption pattern and purchase behavior due to the dynamics of supply shock during the Covid-19 pandemic and (2) analyze factors that influence household consumption decisions on food purchase during the Covid-19 pandemic. One hundred participants from Kaliwates and Sumbersari District, Jember Regency, had recruited by the cluster sampling technique. These districts were purposively selected as the study locations. Data were analyzed using logit analysis. Findings reported that variable of price, income, age, and residence dummy had significantly influenced the household consumption decision on food purchase during the pandemic at the level of=20%. Secure staple food stock is required, recalling the evidence that no significant change in the food consumption patterns documented in this study

A gendered outlook into the adoption of improved rice varieties in Madagascar

This study investigates the household decision-making process toward adopting improved rice varieties. The mixed-method approach is applied to identify the influential factors and demonstrating the importance of considering gender aspects. The study was conducted in Madagascar Highlands (Vakinankaratra and Haute Matsiatra regions) with a sample of 164 male and female farmers. The quantitative models explored gendered differences for adoption, and the qualitative analysis elucidated farmers’ preferences and factors that would limit or motivate adoption. Results show that at the time of the study, most farmers did not grow improved rice variety. No statistically significant gender differences in adoption levels were found; some explaining factors and preferences are gendered, pointing mainly to the labor implications of adoption. The qualitative analysis reveals similarities and sharp differences in preference attributes, abiotic stress resistance being the crucial factor in selecting varieties. Limiting factors include access to fertilizer, seeds, and finance; labor and time significantly constrain women. Technology development should be considered by applying a gender lens. For instance, male and female farmers must be involved in the initial stage of developing and deploying technology to deliver new varieties presenting traits suitable to the farmers’ soil and other environmental conditions and their households’ objectives. Technologies facilitating labor and time can reduce women’s reluctance to adopt new varieties.

Social influence shapes adaptive water governance: empirical evidence from northwestern Pakistan

Social-ecological change has placed unprecedented stress on water resources throughout the world. This has driven water users to employ a diverse range of adaptation strategies and necessitates new governance structures, such as adaptive water governance (AWG), which have the capacity to manage resources in the midst of uncertainty and complexity. As such, AWG has the potential to support household adaptation strategies; however, little empirical work has been done to identify the factors that facilitate the emergence of AWG. To address this gap, we conducted a household survey of 448 households in northwestern Pakistan, a post-conflict, water-scarce area where adaptive governance is needed to support rural livelihoods in the midst of numerous socioeconomic and environmental transformations. Indeed, we found that households in our study area perceived a range of changes to the water system, including but not limited to declines of fish populations, decreased quality and amount of river water, and an increase of local tourism. Respondents reported a range of adaptation strategies including increasing agricultural inputs, planting new crop varieties, and changing their domestic water supply system. In some cases, households employed these adaptation strategies despite economic barriers, and although many were willing to go against friends’ and community leaders’ opinions to adapt, and they were less likely to counter the opinions of family members. This reveals that households negotiate multiple factors in their decisions to adapt to social-ecological change; as such, there is a great need for flexible and collaborative governance systems such as AWG to support this complexity in household adaptation decision making. Further, we argue that the varying roles of social influence should be considered to align governance structures with household decision-making processes. Thus, we suggest that AWG will be more likely to emerge when decision makers involved in water management draw on existing informal institutions and cross-sectoral collaboration to reflect the complex ways water users adapt to social-ecological change.

Household Responses to Cash Transfers

This paper estimates a collective model of the household and investigates how parents reach decisions to allocate household resources. Using data from PROGRESA, we test the restrictions of collective rationality on a large variety of specifications and show that, contrary to previous results, this modeling approach cannot rationalize the household decision process. We provide some evidence that the observed inefficiency is driven by the group receiving the cash transfers. These results are consistent with the idea that a possible indirect effect of CCT programs may be to enhance disagreements between the spouses which trigger an inefficient allocation of their resources.

Participatory Approaches to Urban Flood Risk Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Projects: A Scoping Review of the Global South Evidence

Participatory approaches to urban flood risk adaptation initiatives have been prominent amongst developed countries, particularly in Europe, since the 2000s and are now steadily on the rise in the Global South. In this article we focus on how international examples of community-based participatory research and practice have managed flooding risk mitigation and adaptation strategies, specifically in the Global South. While top-down resistance-based approaches that include infrastructure, technology, laws and regulations offer invaluable information for urban planners and policy-makers they however fall short on revealing the perceptions and behaviours that shape individual, household and community adaptation decision-making process. In addition, these top-down approaches tend to take a long-term view of change with new programmes or policies, implemented over time, failing to tackle current challenges. The aim of this scoping review is therefore to map out the key concepts underpinning this research area and the main sources of evidence addressing community-based flooding monitoring, mitigation and adaptation strategies to uncover practices that facilitate participatory models of working between researchers, urban developers/designers, government institutions, and local communities. Finally, this evidence-based synthesis serves as background to the presentation of a Mexican case-study in which a community-based participatory approach is employed to support a co-production process for the identification of local flood risk management options.

Household decision-making for the MenACWY vaccination: How parents and adolescents deal with an adolescent vaccination decision

ObjectiveBetween 2015 and 2018 The Netherlands experienced increases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) serogroup W (MenW), from 0.02 cases/100,000 people between 2010 and 2014 up to 0.5 cases/100,000 in 2017. Therefore in 2018 the MenACWY vaccination was introduced in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) and a catch-up campaign was initiated among adolescents. This study aimed to gain insight into the decision-making process within households regarding the MenACWY vaccination. The focus was on the differences in the decision-making process of parents and adolescents and of those that had accepted the MenACWY vaccination and those that had not, in order to assess how these types of decisions are made within households. MethodWe conducted a total of 38 semi-structured interviews in 20 households (7 not vaccinated) with 20 parents and 18 adolescents (18 dyads) across The Netherlands concerning their decision-making process. Interview guides were constructed based on the Precaution Adaption Process (PAP) model. We performed thematic analysis using qualitative data analysis software (MAXQDA). ResultsParents are the main actors in the household decision-making process regarding the MenACWY vaccination. Parents start their decision-making process before adolescents are even aware of the issue. Households in the study took different approaches in involving the adolescent in the decision-making, resulting in three styles of household decision-making: parents decide without the adolescent, parents involve the adolescent, or parents leave it up to the adolescent to decide. ConclusionParents influence adolescent reasoning, engagement and involvement during the MenACWY vaccination decision-making. And this is the case both among those that have accepted and rejected the MenACWY vaccination. Adolescent engagement with the MenACWY vaccination decision-making is either short-lived or non-existent. However, the moment offers opportunities to engage adolescents on vaccinations and decision-making, with parents as key figures to promote this.

Unitary or collective households? A nonparametric rationality and separability test using detailed data on consumption expenditures and time use

We document a nonparametric test for weak separability between time use and consumption goods applied to unique time-use data on Belgian singles and households. The test outcomes reject the hypothesis of weak separability, indicating that household consumption decisions are not made independent from time-use allocations. Second, we conduct a nonparametric evaluation of unitary and collective rationality tests under a comprehensive setting studying choices on both private and public consumption in combination with time spent on labour supply and domestic work. This makes the analysis less vulnerable to separability issues and obtains a more realistic description of household trade-offs between consumption and time use (i.e. leisure and domestic work) than does the existing work. Moreover, our analysis uses nonparametric revealed preference tools and abstains from imposing functional form assumptions on the individual utilities and the household decision process. The outcomes confirm previous findings validating the use of collective models to analyse multi-member decision making. Lastly, we show the robustness of our outcomes to settings typically considered in existing work (missing detailed time-use information).

Intra-Household Handling and Consumption Dynamics of Milk in Peri-Urban Informal Markets in Tanzania and Kenya: A Gender Lens

Milk, provided it is safe, provides important micronutrients that can combat hidden hunger (undernutrition). Many peri-urban poor people in Tanzania and Kenya use informal markets to purchase milk in order to provide nutritional benefits to their families. Household decision-making processes play an influential role in how much milk to buy and how it is treated. This exploratory qualitative study, conducted in peri-urban Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, examined how access to milk, control over milk handling and safety, and intra-household milk distribution are affected by gender dynamics and by changes in milk availability and price. Focus group discussions with 48 women and 45 men and key informant interviews with 8 men and 8 women, all of whom were parents or caretakers to young children, were conducted. The results indicate that gender roles in milk purchase and handling vary. Generally, providing enough milk is a man’s responsibility, whilst a woman is expected to ensure a nutritious diet. Yet women’s limited decision-making power regarding milk purchase can restrict their ability to provide sufficient milk. Interventions to promote safe milk consumption need to consider gender norms, strengthen intra-household collaborative decision-making, include men in nutrition programming, and increase women’s control over food expenditures.

Early marriage and women\u2019s empowerment: the case of child-brides in Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia

BackgroundWomen, especially those who marry as children, experience various forms and degrees of exclusion and discrimination. Early marriage is a harmful traditional practice that continues to affect millions around the world. Though it has declined over the years, it is still pervasive in developing countries. In Ethiopia, Amhara National Regional State (or alternatively Amhara region) hosts the largest share of child-brides in the country. This study aimed at assessing the effects of early marriage on its survivors’ life conditions – specifically, empowerment and household decision-making – in western Amhara.MethodsThis study employed community-based cross-sectional study design. It adopted mixed method approach – survey, in-depth interview and focus group discussion (FGD) – to collect, analyse and interpret data on early marriage and its effects on household decision-making processes. The survey covered 1278 randomly selected respondents, and 14FGDs and 6 in-depth interviews were conducted. Statistical procedures – frequency distribution, Chi-square, logistic regression – were used to test, compare and establish associations between survey results on women empowerment for two groups of married women based on age at first marriage i.e., below 18 and at/after 18. Narratives and analytical descriptions were integrated to substantiate and/or explain observed quantitative results, or generate contextual themes.ResultsThis study reported that women married at/after 18 were more involved in household decision-making processes than child-brides. Child-brides were more likely to experience various forms of spousal abuse and violence in married life. The study results illustrated how individual-level changes, mainly driven by age at first marriage, interplay with structural factors to define the changing status and roles of married women in the household and community.ConclusionAge at first marriage significantly affected empowerment at household level, and women benefited significantly from delaying marriage. Increase in age did not automatically and unilaterally empowered women in marriage, however, since age entails a cultural definition of one’s position in society and its institutions. We recommend further research to focus on the nexus between the household and the social-structural forms that manifest at individual and community levels, and draw insights to promote women’s wellbeing and emancipation.

‘I also take part in caring for the sick child’: a qualitative study on fathers’ roles and responsibilities in seeking care for children in Southwest Ethiopia

ObjectivesFathers play an important role in household decision-making processes and child health development. Nevertheless, they are under-represented in child health research, especially in low-income settings. Little is known about what...

Decision-Making Process in Female Genital Mutilation: A Systematic Review.

Female genital mutilation/cutting “FGM/C” is a deep-rooted damaging practice. Despite the growing efforts to end this practice, the current trends of its decline are not enough to overcome the population’s underlying growth. The aim of this research is to investigate the FGM/C household decision-making process and identify the main household decision-makers. A review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted by searching PubMed, JSTOR, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, EBSCO, and CINAHL Plus via systematic search using keywords. The found publications were screen using inclusion and exclusion criteria in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. After critical appraisal, seventeen articles were included in this review. The data extracted from the articles regarding FGM/C household-decision making process and decision-makers were analyzed using narrative analysis. FGM/C decision-making process varies from a region to another; however, it generally involves more than one individual, and each one has different power over the decision. Fathers, mothers, and grandmothers are the main decision-makers. It was shown from this review that opening the dialogue regarding FGM/C between sexes may lead to a productive decision-making process. The participation of fathers in the decision-making may free the mothers from the social-pressure and responsibility of carrying on traditions and create a more favorable environment to stop FGM/C practice.

An Empirical Investigation of Men’s Views of Women’s Contribution to Farming in Northwest Bangladesh

This paper verifies the statement that “women contribute greatly to growing crops year-round, but their work is not recognized” through in-depth empirical investigation of their participation in rice and vegetable production and farm decision-making processes in Northwest Bangladesh. Interviews were held with 240 randomly selected couples (husband and wife interviewed separately) to document their views of the female’s participation in crop farming activities and farm and household decision-making. The findings reveal that women play a substantial role in farming and are increasingly involved in farm management, but they are generally overlooked or under-valued by their male counterparts. Looking at crop-specific participation, among 18 different activities of the rice production cycle, men recognized that their spouse had “high” participation in three activities, “strong” in one, “moderate” in five, and “weak” in nine. A similar result was found for activities in vegetable production. In both cases, men’s recognition differed from that reported by their spouses. Logistic regression modeling against eleven variables (selected from the intersectionality and patriarchy literature) revealed six statistically significant variables that influence men to consult with their wives regarding farm decisions. The dominant variables were spouse education (years of schooling), spouse Non-governmental organization (NGO) membership, and the number of hours per day that the spouse spent working on the farm. The article provides a new insight into family dynamics in household and farm decision-making processes. The collection and analysis of both counterparts’ (husband and wife) views provides empirical evidence that not only is women’s participation in agricultural activities and decision-making under-recognized, but that higher education and being involved in NGO activities have a positive influence on male perceptions of women’s contributions. While these findings may not be universally applicable, the framework (using intersectionality and patriarchy indicators together with logistic regression modeling) is highly adaptable. Application in other parts of Bangladesh would reveal perceptions in those regions, and would support a more comprehensive approach to future policy intervention towards gender integration into crop farming in line with promoting women’s education and NGO participation.

Dynamics of Women’s Autonomy in Household Decision-Making in Ghana

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.

No longer in the driver’s seat: How do affective motivations impact consumer interest in automated vehicles?

Emerging advancements in automated vehicles may dramatically change how transportation system users engage cars as symbols and tools to exert control over their lives, time use, and activity spaces. Transportation technologies do not only serve users. They can also elicit affective reactions and make users experience feelings, including anxiety, freedom, health, and the sense of being in control of different facets of their lives. By changing the role of humans in actively moving through urban environments, fully-automated vehicles could impact users’ perceived control over their environments and their use of cities. To better understand the use and implications of automated vehicles, this study explores whether affective motivations for automobile ownership are likely to change in a potential future of fully-automated vehicles. This study focuses on AV ownership conditions using a consumer survey of 3201 residents of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to estimate consumer interest in regularly using and purchasing privately-owned AVs using a combination of revealed preference (vehicle ownership) and stated preference (AV interest) data. Structural equation models are estimated to explore whether the affective motivations for vehicle ownership are likely to be different than the affective motivations for using or adopting an automated vehicle. Findings indicate that the role of affective motivations are likely to be different for vehicle ownership than for interest in AV use and adoption. While a car freedom and control affective motivation is a strong predictor of current household vehicle ownership, it is negatively associated with AV interest and adoption. The affective motivation related to being a daring achiever is a strong predictor of AV interest and adoption, but it is unrelated with current vehicle ownership levels. Finally, individual control over activities and travel is negatively associated with current vehicle ownership levels, but it is unrelated with AV interest and adoption. Findings suggest significant differences between individuals’ motivations for vehicle ownership and AV adoption and use. Nevertheless, these findings should be interpreted cautiously, as data related to interest in AV technology remains in the domain of stated preference data, rather than revealed preferences, which are subject to broader household decision-making processes. As such, if transportation planning and forecasting concentrate only on instrumental factors and ignore changes in affective motivations, forecasts may miss key components of behavioral change and may miss the balance of who benefits (or loses) from this new technology.

Gender and poverty in South African rural areas

In this article, we elicit the effects of gender on poverty reduction efforts in South Africa. Gender plays a huge role in the household decision-making process, as a result, it can determine if wh...