Developing an Instrument to Measure Autonomy: Urban Middle-Class Women in Delhi

This article develops an instrument to measure women’s autonomy in India, specifically focusing on urban women from households that have access to economic resources. It points toward the importance of understanding and measuring the autonomy of women among India’s rapidly growing middle classes. The article develops two kinds of measures based on a primary survey of women in Delhi. First, a Relative Autonomy Index (RAI), which is an adaptation of the RAI developed by Ana Vaz et al. (2013, “Measuring Autonomy: Evidence from Bangladesh.” OPHI Working Papers 38a. Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, Oxford University), asks questions designed to understand specific characteristics and circumstances of life for middle-class women in North India. The second is an ambient measure that indexes important aspects of family, peer group, and resource use. The adapted RAI is then examined in relation to the ambient measure, as well as to measures of psychological well-being and self-efficacy, in addition to being tested for validity and reliability.HIGHLIGHTSThe study adapts the Relative Autonomy Index for urban middle-class women in India.It adds lifestyle and family norms to measure autonomy beyond income and assets.The validated index links women’s autonomy to psychological and subjective well-being.Education, age at marriage, and occupation increase women’s relative autonomy.The study calls for more nuanced measures of women’s agency within interpersonal dynamics.