Power Dynamics in Household Decision-Making- An Analysis of Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Work

Abstract

Women‟s involvement in household decision making is significant. Their participation in household decision making is largely influenced by structural variables such as resource contribution, education, occupation and seniority. However, the lack of clear consensus on which variable improves women‟s power in the household presents a major problem for our state of knowledge regarding what is significant for policy formulation and development interventions. The study utilizes secondary data of existing literature on women‟s decision making in the household to aid in establishing which variable(s) are most influential. Result from the study show the profound role of culture in women‟s participation in household decision making. To mute the adverse effect of culture, the structural variable, education is identified as influential. This is because education re-orients traditional notions of gender ideologies, improves opportunities for women‟s participation in the labour market, and gives them a greater voice in negotiating household decisions. The study further establishes that both the structural perspectives and cultural ideological perspectives provide compelling explanations to household decision making within the African context.