Rajkarnikar’s Research on Gendered Impacts of Migration Published in REHO

Dr. Pratistha Joshi Rajkarnikar, Associate Director of the Economics in Context Initiative, at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center, has her research published in the Review of Economics of the Household. In her study, titled ‘Male Migration and Women’s Decision Making in Nepal’, Rajkarnikar examines the changes in women’s decision-making roles due to the foreign labor migration of men. Using a mixed-method strategy, including qualitative analysis from fieldwork in four districts of Nepal and quantitative analysis from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011, the study finds that women who take on the role of household heads make more decisions, while those living under the headship of other members experience a decline in their decision-making power. However, even for household heads, most gains in decision-making come from making smaller, non-strategic decisions. Strategic decisions, especially those related to children’s well-being and allocation of financial resources, are mostly made by men. Women’s ability to be empowered through increased decision-making is limited by their position in the family, their financial dependence on men, and norms restricting women’s access to resources.

Published in Review of Economics of the Household