Matrimonial Expenditures and Egyptian Women's Power Within Marriage

Bibliographic Data

ID2347754
AuthorsRania Salem (0000-0001-5833-8619, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume39
Issue9
Pages2615-2638
Publication date2018-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Family Issues (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0192-513X • E-ISSN: 1552-5481
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0192513x18755197
OpenAlexW2789550783
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited39

Married women's material resources are widely regarded as determinants of gendered power relations between husbands and wives. Although a growing literature describes the material transactions that accompany marriage, few empirical studies investigate their association with women's postmarital outcomes. Using nationally representative survey data from Egypt ( n = 6,987), I test the assumption that matrimonial outlays are associated with women's power (as measured by respondents' reported influence in making household decisions). I find that absolute matrimonial outlays mostly bear a weak positive association with Egyptian wives' decision-making power. My results further show that proportional spending on marriage bears a much stronger association with women's decision-making power. A higher percentage of marriage costs covered by the bride's side carries a net advantage for women, suggesting that parental investments in daughters' marriages signal familial support for the bride, thus enhancing her power

Demographic economics · Economics · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub