Couple’s Decision-making Power, Women’s Labor Market Outcomes and Asset Ownership
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Population Research and Policy Review
Abstract
This paper explores the causal link between couple’s household decision-making power and women’s
labour market and economic outcomes. Autonomy refers to the condition of independence, while
decision-making power can be defined as one’s ability to make important decisions within the
household. Autonomy and decision-making power are used interchangeably in this paper.Using the
2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey and a series of probit, instrumental probit and
multinomial logistic regression models, findings suggest that women who have lower autonomy in their
households are less likely to be currently employed and even when they are employed, these women
have higher odds of working in family businesses, which are typically associated with greater labor
market vulnerability. These women are, however, more likely to own assets, a strategy likely aimed at
improving their exit options. Interestingly, when men have relatively more power within the household,
there are positive implications for women’s labour market outcomes: women are more likely to be
currently employed and less likely to be unpaid workers in family businesses. An explanation for this
may be found in the country’s high poverty levels and general economic hardships, which necessitates
the influx of additional resources into the household through women’s paid employment. Greater
absolute and relative autonomy of male partners, however, reduces women’s asset ownership, likely
because greater resource accumulation by women, beyond wage receipts, can be an indicator of
dominance within the household, a position typically ascribed to men by cultural and patriarchal norms.
These results suggest that relative perceptions of authority and autonomy in the household are
important determinants of Nigerian women’s labour market behaviours and asset ownership, and the
The influence of male partners cannot and should not be underestimated.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
patriarchal culture, Household Decision making, assets ownership