PI(s): MIchel Guillot Keera Allendorf Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
This study investigates how the quality of family relations impacts women's empowerment and well-being, as measured by maternal and child health. Women's empowerment has received a great deal of attention as both a means and an end of international development. Education, micro-credit, and land rights have all been promoted as means to help women become the beneficiaries of development. At the same time, these policies and programs are seen as ways to assist women in becoming more effective agents of development. Empowered women appear better able to secure the well-being of themselves and their families. The relationships among empowerment and its determinants and consequences are still not well understood. One element in particular that has not been adequately addressed is the quality of marital and other family relationships. Affection, respect, and support from family members are likely to be important sources of women's empowerment. The quality of family relationships may also mediate the impact of women's empowerment on well-being. Where husbands and other family members care more about the welfare of women, women's empowerment may be less important for securing health care. The data used to address these issues are quantitative and qualitative data from rural north India, including participant observation, informal discussions with community members, and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with women respondents. The validity of the hypotheses for a larger population is tested using existing data from the Indian National Family Health Survey and a survey on women's reproductive histories. This research contributes to sociological understanding of empowerment and household decision making, as well as reflects on whether the well-known positive association between relationship quality and health in more developed countries applies in a less developed context.
Broader Impacts: The findings should also provide insight for policy and programs that ultimately contribute to women's empowerment and better maternal and child health. These findings will be disseminated in academic and development policy communities in the United States and India.
