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Spousal concordance in joint and separate households: Survey evidence from Nepal

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  • Ambler, Kate
  • Doss, Cheryl R.
  • Kieran, Caitlin
  • Passarelli, Simone

Abstract

Using data from Nepal, we analyze patterns of concordance between spouses on survey questions regarding asset ownership and decision making separately for households in which a respondent couple lives with the husband’s parents and those in which they do not. We consider concordance regarding both the roles of women respondents and the roles of people other than the respondent couple. We find that discordance regarding women’s roles is both substantial and systematic; women are much more likely than men to report women’s participation in asset ownership and decision making, and this qualitative pattern is similar across household types. Regarding the role of others, the modal response in joint households is concordance that others own assets and make decisions. However, women are more likely than men to acknowledge this role of others. Next, we find that spousal concordance that women have a role, and wives reporting they have a role while their husbands say that they do not, are both correlated with some improved measures of well-being. In households with in-laws present, concordance that others are involved is correlated with worse outcomes for women. These results highlight that spousal concordance is not necessarily indicative of women's well-being, especially in joint households.

Suggested Citation

  • Ambler, Kate & Doss, Cheryl R. & Kieran, Caitlin & Passarelli, Simone, 2020. "Spousal concordance in joint and separate households: Survey evidence from Nepal," IFPRI discussion papers 1958, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:1958
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Josephson, 2025. "Intra-household management of resources: evidence from Malawi," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 165-194, March.
    2. Ben D’Exelle & Liz Ignowski, 2023. "Friends in the village:do they matter for women’s involvement in household decisions?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(4), pages 3005-3028, October.
    3. Kalyani Raghunathan & Mai Mahmoud & Jessica Heckert & Gayathri Ramani & Greg Seymour, 2025. "Do Estimates of Women’s Control over Income and Decisionmaking Vary Across Nationally Representative Survey Programs?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 95-122, August.
    4. Balayar, Ramesh & Mazur, Robert, 2021. "Women’s decision-making roles in vegetable production, marketing and income utilization in Nepal’s hills communities," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).

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