Understanding female autonomy in India through their family headship status

Abstract

Sex of the head of the household can provide insights into gender inequality and power dynamics that exist at the household level. Leadership positions are rarely given to a female in the Indian society. The hierarchy of authority in the household is based on age (privileging the older) and gender (privileging the men). Marriage is still the most important rite of passage in a woman's life in India and it is also a medium through which autonomy is realized. This paper explores how women realize ways to achieve headship in the family in an otherwise male dominated household. Data was obtained from Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) II, conducted between 2011 and 2012, and which sampled 39,523 ever married women from age 15 years and above. Autonomy indices were developed to show active decision-making power in the household. In addition, how headship status influences levels of autonomy were explored by employing multinomial logistic regression. Findings showed decision making abilities were distinguishable for women without spouse compared with those who were married. Levels of autonomy also reflected the existing hierarchies in the family, a situation relatively better for women who were not in marital union.