Married women's participation in household decision-making

Abstract

This study was undertaken to identify the areas of household decision-making where married women of nuclear families participate. The variables involved in this study were 'educational attainment of women, ''their income, and the different areas of household decision-making. The primary instrument used in this study was an interview schedule to gather necessary data. The barangay of Mat-y, Miag-ao, Iloilo, was chosen as the research site. The respondents of the study are 59 married women of nuclear families as 50% sample. A random sampling method was employed. The chi-square test was utilised primarily in data analysis to determine the presence ofa relationship between variables. More so, simple frequency and percentage counts were employed to make the presentation of results comprehensible. With the use of frequency and percentages, it was found out that married women are involved in every area of decision-making in the household, namely financial-economic and socio-moral concerns. in financial-economic areas, women are more involved most particularly inhousehold budgeting of everyday expenses. In sociomoral concerns, they are most involved specifically in the care of children. Likewise,the results of the chi-square test showed that no relationship is evident between educational attainment and women’s involvement in the decision—making process in both financial-economic and socio-moral related areas, Furthermore, as to income as the other variable, two decision-areas were found to be affected by income. These were under the financial-economic related aspects of decision- mooting specifically in borrowing of money and paying of loans or credits, moreover, the other decision areas tested showed no relationship between income and women’s participation in the decision-making process.