Negociación y relaciones de género: dentro y fuera de la unidad doméstica

Highlighting the problems posed by a "unitary" conceptualization of the household, a number of economists have proposed alternative models in recent years. These models, particularly those embodying the bargaining approach, provide a useful framework to analyse gender relations and shred some light on how gender asymmetries are constructed and contested. At the same time, models have paid inadequate or no attention to some critical aspects of intra-household gender dynamics, such as: what factors (especially qualitative ones) affect bargaining power? What is the role of social norms and social perceptions in the bargaining process and how might those factors be bargained over? Are women less motivated than men by self-interest and might this affect bargaining outcomes? Most discussions on bargaining also say little about gender relations beyond the household, and about the links between extra-household and intra-household bargaining power. This paper spells out the nature of these complexities and their importance in determining the outcomes of intra-household dynamics. It likewise extends the bargaining approach beyond the household to the interlinked arenas of the market, the community, and the State.