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Intra‐household bargaining power and household expenditure allocation: Evidence from Iran

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  • Bharati Basu
  • Pushkar Maitra

Abstract

This article examines the role of intra‐household bargaining power on household expenditure patterns in Iran to see whether women’s empowerment can achieve similar results in Iran as we have seen it achieve in other countries of the world. This study is insightful because it tells us whether Iranian women, who have experienced both economic and noneconomic constraints over many years, can utilize increased power toward economic development. The bargaining power is measured by the sex ratio in the marriage market. Using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey in Iran, we find that greater bargaining power of women contributes significantly toward greater provision of education and health expenditure within the household, creating a potential for an increase in welfare for the next generation.

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  • Bharati Basu & Pushkar Maitra, 2020. "Intra‐household bargaining power and household expenditure allocation: Evidence from Iran," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 606-627, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:24:y:2020:i:2:p:606-627
    DOI: 10.1111/rode.12636
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    2. Frederik Booysen & Sevias Guvuriro, 2021. "Gender Differences in Intra-Household Financial Decision-Making: An Application of Coarsened Exact Matching," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-11, October.
    3. Zicheng Wang & Yun Lou & Yi Zhou, 2020. "Bargaining Power or Specialization? Determinants of Household Decision Making in Chinese Rural Migrant Families," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, December.
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    6. Mohammad Reza Farzanegan & Sven Fischer, 2023. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Marriage and Childbirth: Survey-based Evidence from Iran," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202320, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    7. Goli, Imaneh & Bijani, Masoud & Koohi, Pourya Kabir & Skominas, Rytis & Värnik, Rando & Van Passel, Steven & Dogot, Thomas & Azadi, Hossein, 2025. "Toward tenure security: The relationship between women's land ownership, formal land title documents and their empowerment," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    8. Mookerjee, Mehreen & Ojha, Manini & Roy, Sanket & Yadav, Kartik, 2025. "Banning the bottle, shifting the balance: Impact of Reduced Alcohol Consumption on Women's Agency," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1662, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Liu, Chengkui & Ren, Feirong & Yang, Liuyi & Fan, Wei & Huang, Xiongcai, 2025. "Cognitive or non-cognitive? The effect of maternal dominance on adolescent human capital: Evidence from adolescents' educational decisions," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).

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