Browsing by Author "Swaminathan, H."
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Item Assets and Shocks: A Gendered Analysis of Ecuador, Ghana and Karnataka, India(Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 2017-05) Doss, C.; Oduro, A. D.; Deere, C. D.; Swaminathan, H.; Baah- Boateng, W.; Nayaran, Y. S.Drawing upon household surveys in Ecuador, Ghana and Karnataka, India, we analyse the relationship between assets and shocks, distinguishing between asset loss as the shock, and the use of assets as a coping strategy. A greater proportion of households experienced a direct loss of assets due to shocks than as a coping response. In Karnataka, but not in Ghana or Ecuador, women’s assets are more likely to be sold than men’s. Asset ownership and the decision to sell or pawn assets are fairly strongly related but do not completely overlap. Husbands and wives often differ in both the perception of shocks and the response to them.Item Do men and women estimate property values differently?(Elsevier Ltd, 2018) Doss, C.R.; Catanzarite, Z.; Baah-Boateng, W.; Swaminathan, H.; Diana Deere, C.; Boakye-Yiadom, L.; Suchitra, J.Y.Wealth data are typically obtained by asking respondents about the value of their key assets. Yet, what if the answers to valuation questions vary systematically depending on who is interviewed? Using nationally representative data from Ghana and Ecuador and for the state of Karnataka, India, we analyze whether men and women provide different responses to questions about the monetary value of their home. Using a DFL decomposition across the full sample and comparing the responses of husbands and wives in our couple sample, we find that overall, the distribution of monetary values reported by women tends to be narrower than that reported by men. This finding has implications both for data collection efforts and for measures of the gender wealth gap. © 2018 Elsevier LtdItem Gendered Paths to Asset Accumulation? Markets, Savings, and Credit in Developing Countries(Feminist Economics, 2019-02) Doss, C.R.; Deere, C.D.; Oduro, A.D.; Swaminathan, H.; Catanzarite, Z.; Suchitra, J.Y.An extensive literature shows how property inheritance is biased against women in many developing countries, yet relatively little attention has been given to gender bias in other means of acquiring physical assets, such as the market. Using individual-level data from Ecuador, Ghana, and Karnataka, India, this study analyzes modes of acquisition and financing of housing, agricultural land, other real estate, and businesses. The findings show that women acquire fewer of their assets through the market than men, and that in asset markets, both men and women are more likely to use their own savings than to use credit. The study also analyzes current loans for asset acquisition and finds that, in general, women tend to be somewhat disadvantaged in securing formal bank loans. The results suggest that financial inclusion to promote more gender equal access to accumulation of assets should focus on both savings and credit, with priority to savings.Item Property rights and the gender distribution of wealth in Ecuador, Ghana and India(Journal of Economic Inequality, 2013-06) Deere, C.D.; Oduro, A.D.; Swaminathan, H.; Doss, C.Women's ability to accumulate wealth is often attributed to whether they have property rights; i. e., a legal personality to own and manage property. In this paper we argue that basic property rights are insufficient; whether women are able to accumulate wealth also depends upon the marital and inheritance regimes in particular contexts. Drawing upon surveys which collected individual level ownership data in Ecuador, Ghana and the state of Karnataka in India, we estimate married women's share of couple wealth and relate it to how assets are owned within marriage as well as to different inheritance regimes and practices. In Ecuador, married women own 44 %, in Ghana, 19 %, and in Karnataka, 9 % of couple wealth. Ecuador is characterized by the partial community property regime in marriage while inheritance laws provide for all children, irrespective of sex, to be treated equally, norms that are largely followed in practice. In contrast, Ghana and India are characterized by the separation of property regime which does not recognize wives' contribution to the formation of marital property, and by inheritance practices that are strongly male biased. Reforming marital and inheritance regimes must remain a top priority if gender economic equality is to be attained. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.Item Women, assets, and formal savings: A comparative analysis of Ecuador, Ghana and India(Development Policy Review, 2019-01-03) Oduro, A.D.; Doss, C.; Swaminathan, H.; Deere, C.D.; Suchitra, J.Y.; Anglade, B.Motivation: Savings are an important but often overlooked component of financial inclusion. While women are less active than men in the formal financial sector there is little understanding about their ability to accumulate savings. Purpose: We hypothesize that a woman’s individual economic status, measured by her property ownership, is an important driver of her ability to save. Approach and Methods: Women are considered as savers in the formal sector only if they have savings above a minimum threshold. Three measures of women’s asset ownership are used: two capture their absolute property status and one their relative status in the household. The data are obtained from three large‐scale surveys that collected individual‐level asset data in Ecuador, Ghana and the Indian state of Karnataka. Logistic regression models are employed to examine the relationship between women’s property ownership and accumulation of savings. Findings: The absolute value of a woman’s physical assets and her share of household physical wealth are correlated with being able to accumulate formal savings. Women’s relative wealth status is more strongly related to their savings, along with education, paid employment and group membership. Conclusions: Women’s intrahousehold status, defined by their relative wealth, is critical to determining their ability to save in formal accounts. Policy Implications: Interventions that boost women’s bargaining power, by increasing their property ownership, should be encouraged, along with greater efforts to improve girls’ access to quality education. Functional literacy training for older women can both reduce barriers to accessing financial institutions and create awareness of their benefits. Constraints to women’s participation in the labour force should be removed in tandem with interventions to reduce gender earnings gaps.