Background: Current research focuses primarily on women’s autonomy in decision making while little attention is paid to their freedom of expression. Socioeconomic& socio demographic factors affect women’s autonomy in decision making. In the developing countries, particularly in Pakistan, although women are making significant financial contributions but they are still under collective decisions of husband and other family members while sometimes they are blindly relying on husband’s decision. Objective of study was to find out association of women’s autonomy in decision making & socioeconomic factors.Method:Cross sectional survey was conducted in Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir on married working women (N=500). The data consist of women’s three decisions: birth control decision, financial decision and freedom of expression. A number of socio-demographic variables were used in chi-square analysis to examine the association of these variables with the said decisions.Results: Age, residence, education, professional differences, job nature, monthly income of married women are positively associated with autonomy in decision making.59% women of above 30 years age exercise independence in birth control decisions(p value0.02). Urban women
References
[1]
Ahmmed, M., & Chakraborty, N. (2012). Women’s status and early childhood mortality in bangladesh.
http://maternalhealthtaskforce.org/component/docman/doc_view/1333-women-s-status-and-earlychildhood-mortality-in-bangladesh?Itemid=220
[2]
Ali, W., Ishaque, M. F., Saima, A., & Yasin, G. (2010). Cultural barriers in women empowerment: A sociological analysis of Multan, Pakistan. European Journal of Social Sciences, 18, 147-155.
[3]
Dixon, R. B. (1978). Rural women at work: Strategies for development in South Asia. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
[4]
Dyson, T., & Moore, M. (1983). On kinship structure, female autonomy, and demographic behaviour in India. Population and Development Review, 9, 35-60. doi:10.2307/1972894
[5]
Furuta, M., & Salway, S. (2006). Women’s position within the house hold as a determinant of maternal health care use in Nepal. International Family Planning Perspectives, 32, 17-27.
doi:10.1363/3201706
[6]
Heer, D. M. (1958). Dominance and working wife. Social Forces, 36, 34. doi:10.2307/2573973
[7]
Jejeebhoy, S. J., & Sathar, Z. A. (2001). Women’s autonomy in India and Pakistan: The influence of religion and region. Population and Development Review, 27, 687-712.
doi:10.1111/j.1728-4457.2001.00687.x
[8]
Jensen, R. (2012). Do labor market opportunities affect young women’s work and family decisions? Experimental evidence from India. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127, 753-792.
doi:10.1093/qje/qjs002
[9]
Kazi, & Shahnaz (1999). Gender inequalities and development in Pakistan. In S. R. Khan (Ed.), 50 years of pakistan’s economy: Traditional topics and contemporary concerns (pp. 376-414). Karachi: Oxford University Press.
[10]
Mumtaz, Z., & Salway, S. M. (2007). Gender, pregnancy and the uptake of antenatal care services in Pakistan. Sociology of Health & Illness, 29, 1-26. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2007.00519.x
[11]
Roth, D. M., & Mbzyo, M. I. (2001). Promoting safe motherhoodin the community. New Delhi: Reproductive Health.
[12]
Saima, H., Stephenson, R., & Rubenson, B. (2011). Marriage decision making, spousal communication, and reproductive health among married youth in Pakistan. Global Health Action, 4, 5079.
[13]
Saleem, S., & Bobak, M. (2005). Women’s autonomy, education and contraception use in Pakistan: A national study. Reproductive Health, 2, 8. doi:10.1186/1742-4755-2-8
[14]
Sanjoy, K. C., Howlader, H., & Nahar, N. (2012). Educational status of the married women and their participation at household decision making in rural Bangladesh. International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, 1, 137-146.
[15]
Standing, H. (1991). Dependence and autonomy: Women’s employment and the family in Calcutta. London and New York: Routledge.
