The power of the family: kinship and intra-household decision making in rural Burundi

Rama Lionel Ngenzebuke (), Bram De Rock and Philip Verwimp

Review of Economics of the Household, 2018, vol. 16, issue 2, No 6, 323-346

Abstract: Abstract In this paper we show that in rural Burundi the characteristics of the female’s kinship are highly correlated with her decision-making power. First, a female whose own immediate family is at least as rich as her husband’s counterpart enjoys a greater say over children- and asset-related decision-making. Second, the size, relative wealth and proximity of the extended family also matter. Third, kinship characteristics prove to be more important than (standard) individual and household characteristics. Finally, we also show that the female’s say over asset-related decision-making is positively associated with males’ education, more than with female’s education per se. All these correlation patterns can inform policies aiming at empowering women or targeting children through women’s empowerment.

Keywords: Female decision-making; Children; Assets; Kinship; Rural Burundi (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D19 D63 J12 J13 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Power of the Family: Kinship and Intra-Houselhold Decision-Making in Rural Burundi (2014)
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DOI: 10.1007/s11150-016-9340-2

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