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How Much Does Women's Empowerment Influence their Wellbeing? Evidence from Africa

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  • David Fielding

    (Department of Economics, University of Otago, New Zealand)

Abstract

One of the eight Millennium Development Goals is to 'promote gender equality and empower women.' However, only 1% of official foreign aid is currently spent on gender equality and human rights. Using individual-level survey data from 39 villages in northern Senegal, we model the effects that freedom within the home have on married women's subjective wellbeing. We find the direct effects on wellbeing to be of a similar magnitude to the direct effects of consumption, education and morbidity. These results suggest the need for a review of aid allocation priorities.

Suggested Citation

  • David Fielding, 2013. "How Much Does Women's Empowerment Influence their Wellbeing? Evidence from Africa," Working Papers 1307, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Apr 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:otg:wpaper:1307
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    File URL: http://www.otago.ac.nz/economics/research/otago076641.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. VAN DEN BROECK, Goedele & MAERTENS, Miet, 2015. "Does Off-farm Employment Make Women in Rural Senegal Happy?," Working Papers 232593, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    wellbeing; health; women's empowerment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development

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