Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh

Increased market inclusion through participation in agricultural value chains may increase employment and household incomes, but evidence on its empowerment impacts is mixed. In societies with restrictive social norms, greater market inclusion can enhance existing income and empowerment inequalities...

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Main Authors: Raghunathan, Kalyani, Ramani, Gayathri V., Rubin, Deborah, Pereira, Audrey, Ahmed, Akhter, Malapit, Hazel J., Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143477
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author Raghunathan, Kalyani
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Rubin, Deborah
Pereira, Audrey
Ahmed, Akhter
Malapit, Hazel J.
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
author_browse Ahmed, Akhter
Malapit, Hazel J.
Pereira, Audrey
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Raghunathan, Kalyani
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Rubin, Deborah
author_facet Raghunathan, Kalyani
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Rubin, Deborah
Pereira, Audrey
Ahmed, Akhter
Malapit, Hazel J.
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
author_sort Raghunathan, Kalyani
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Increased market inclusion through participation in agricultural value chains may increase employment and household incomes, but evidence on its empowerment impacts is mixed. In societies with restrictive social norms, greater market inclusion can enhance existing income and empowerment inequalities by relegating marginalized groups, including women, to low value chains or lower value nodes within those chains. We use primary data from rural Bangladesh to investigate the associations between households’ primary economic activity – agricultural wage-earning, production, or entrepreneurship – and absolute and relative levels of men’s and women’s empowerment. Women in producer households, on average, fare better on empowerment outcomes than women in wage-earner or entrepreneur households; the opposite is true for men. The gap between men’s and women’s empowerment scores is also lowest in producer households. A decomposition of these results into composite indicators yields insights into potential trade-offs, while accompanying qualitative work highlights the importance of social and cultural norms in shaping the economic roles women can adopt. With a push towards diversification of agriculture into higher value market-oriented crops, more careful programming is needed to ensure that market inclusion translates into an increase in women’s empowerment.
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spelling CGSpace1434772025-12-02T21:02:40Z Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh Raghunathan, Kalyani Ramani, Gayathri V. Rubin, Deborah Pereira, Audrey Ahmed, Akhter Malapit, Hazel J. Quisumbing, Agnes R. value chains gender women's empowerment methods market structure households empowerment agriculture livelihoods rural areas women Increased market inclusion through participation in agricultural value chains may increase employment and household incomes, but evidence on its empowerment impacts is mixed. In societies with restrictive social norms, greater market inclusion can enhance existing income and empowerment inequalities by relegating marginalized groups, including women, to low value chains or lower value nodes within those chains. We use primary data from rural Bangladesh to investigate the associations between households’ primary economic activity – agricultural wage-earning, production, or entrepreneurship – and absolute and relative levels of men’s and women’s empowerment. Women in producer households, on average, fare better on empowerment outcomes than women in wage-earner or entrepreneur households; the opposite is true for men. The gap between men’s and women’s empowerment scores is also lowest in producer households. A decomposition of these results into composite indicators yields insights into potential trade-offs, while accompanying qualitative work highlights the importance of social and cultural norms in shaping the economic roles women can adopt. With a push towards diversification of agriculture into higher value market-oriented crops, more careful programming is needed to ensure that market inclusion translates into an increase in women’s empowerment. 2021-03-01 2024-05-22T12:14:24Z 2024-05-22T12:14:24Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143477 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Raghunathan, Kalyani; Ramani, Gayathri; Rubin, Deborah; Pereira, Audrey; Ahmed, Akhter; Malapit, Hazel J.; and Quisumbing, Agnes R. 2021. Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2008. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134317.
spellingShingle value chains
gender
women's empowerment
methods
market structure
households
empowerment
agriculture
livelihoods
rural areas
women
Raghunathan, Kalyani
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Rubin, Deborah
Pereira, Audrey
Ahmed, Akhter
Malapit, Hazel J.
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh
title Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh
title_full Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh
title_fullStr Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh
title_full_unstemmed Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh
title_short Does market inclusion empower women? Evidence from Bangladesh
title_sort does market inclusion empower women evidence from bangladesh
topic value chains
gender
women's empowerment
methods
market structure
households
empowerment
agriculture
livelihoods
rural areas
women
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143477
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