Population Council Research that makes a difference

Over the years, research has indicated differences and biases in the way resources are distributed and allocated within households. Studies conducted in developed and developing countries indicate that the way in which family resources are allocated may depend greatly on the identities of the people involved. However, such detailed research has not been conducted in Egypt, and therefore such assumptions have remained untested within the Egyptian context.

This project used a recently available data source, the 2006 Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey, to investigate the issue of resource allocation within households. The project's primary objective was to determine whether family resources are equally allocated within the household in Egypt, or whether there exists an unequal distribution of resources that may take the form of a bias against females or children.

The question of women’s and children’s relative access to household resources, and by extension their level of empowerment, is of central interest for several reasons. Today, women’s empowerment has become a global concern and is largely viewed as the necessary way toward the elimination of gender inequality. An important aspect of empowerment is its connection to children’s health and welfare. The logic behind this link is the fact that women often are the primary caregivers for children and are, therefore, also the first to observe symptoms of illness and the first seek treatment for them. Consequently, the extent to which women participate in household decisionmaking can be seen as a major determinant of both women’s and children’s welfare. The ability and extent to which one can contribute to household decisionmaking therefore constitutes an important aspect of the empowerment problem, and as such requires further exploration.

This project is the first in a series of studies aimed at better understanding the connections and interplay between the internal dynamics of a household unit, especially with regard to decisionmaking and the impact on child welfare, in the social and economic contexts of Egypt.

These studies have several goals, the most important of which are to:

• provide detailed assessments of the link between women’s relative power in household decisionmaking and child development;
• provide evidence for policymakers on the link between women’s empowerment and child welfare and;
• provide a basis for comparison between Egypt and countries with similar historical or cultural profiles.