The Disparity in Women’s Decision-Making Abilities Between Rural and Urban Households: An Overview of the Sopher Disparity Index

The study explores the decision-making authority of women in rural and urban households and the disparity between the two groups. The data for the study come from a primary survey conducted in the state of Assam and includes 450 married women belonging to rural and urban areas of the state. The primary objective of the study is to uncover three aspects of women’s empowerment at the household level – the extent of women’s empowerment; the rural–urban disparity in women’s decision-making power; and the factors that influence women’s decision-making power. The Women Decision-Making Power Index (WDPI), which includes eight diverse components of women’s empowerment, was used to evaluate the extent of women’s empowerment. To determine the degree of the rural–urban discrepancy in decision-making ability, the study uses factor analysis and Sopher’s index. The factors affecting the decision-making ability of women were analyzed using a regression model. The results show a strong association between domicile and the women’s participation in family decision-making with rural women exhibiting lower participation as compared to their urban counterparts. The explanatory factors that emerged significant in the study are the levels of education and the dominant social norms that differ in rural and urban settings, leading to the difference in the decision-making power of women. The study contributes to the literature by shedding light on women’s empowerment from the lens of capabilities approach using micro-data sourced from the primary survey.