Women’s narratives of economic abuse and financial strategies in Britain and South Asia.

Revisiting the patriarchal bargain: The intergenerational power dynamics of household money management in rural Nepal

“…In this article, we sought to describe and analyze the complex social processes involved in young married women’s negotiations over cash in the rural Nepali household. In line with previous literature on women’s strategies for control over money ( Chowbey, 2017 , Eroglu, 2009 , Kabeer, 1997 ), financial secrecy was an important means of exerting agency and resisting total economic dependency in a context where women’s dependent status served as strong deterrents to overt confrontation with other household members ( Jack et al, 2010 , Mandelbaum, 1993 ). In contrast to previous accounts, we found a central role for intergenerational power dynamics, where husbands and daughters-in-law acted as allies in a struggle for financial power against the financial guardian of the household.…”

“…Nonetheless, while separated daughters-in-law often narrated their journey from daughter-in-law in a joint household to wife in a nuclear household as a story of emancipation and empowerment, the same daughters-in-law all held an expectation that they themselves would become mothers-in-law with attendant privileges over their own daughters-in-law in due time. At the same time, these daughters-in-law were now under the guardianship of their husbands, who have also been found in prior studies to potentially abuse their economic privileges ( Chowbey, 2017 , Kabeer, 1997 , Singh and Bhandari, 2012 ).…”

“…Importantly, many of the experiences reported by the daughters-in-law, both old and young, fell within contemporary definitions of economic violence ( Chowbey, 2017 , Fawole, 2008 ). This included threatening them with physical violence if they were found in possession of private cash [daughter-in-law 3, Kote], withdrawing financial support for health care in life-threatening situations [daughter-in-law 2, Kote], and withholding food as a bargaining chip in household disputes [daughter-in-law 9, Sahku].…”

“…Similarly, anthropological studies of household management of money in Bangladesh ( Kabeer, 1997 , Kibria, 1995 ), Turkey ( Eroglu, 2009 ) and Egypt ( Hoodfar, 1997 ) have focused on women’s negotiations over money in their spousal relationship. Chowbey’s (2017) study of South Asian women’s strategies for coping with economic abuse in Britain, India and Pakistan analyzed men’s abuse of power over women, which was ascribed to ‘patriarchal norms such as cultural constructions of money and masculinity’ (p. 466). Vera-Sanso’s work on urban families in Tamil Nadu addressed issues of female labor force participation and filial old-age support, but did not explore the power dynamics between junior and senior women over the use of cash inside the extended household ( Vera-Sanso, 2000 , Vera-Sanso, 2005 , Vera-Sanso, 2012 ).…”

'There is no point giving cash to women who don't spend it the way they are told to spend it' – Exploring women's agency over cash in a combined participatory women's groups and cash transfer programme to improve low birthweight in rural Nepal

“…Qualitative studies in Nepal, India and Bangladesh have found discriminatory food allocation and low decision-making power prevent high dietary intake during pregnancy (Shannon et al, 2008; Zaidi, 1996; Morrison et al, 2018). Studies of financial power in South Asia have also found significant risks of economic violence and exploitation by other household members for young women who are rarely in a position to openly demand access to cash (Chowbey, 2017; Kabeer, 1997; Singh and Bhandari, 2012; Gram et al, 2018a). In such contexts, simply labelling cash transfers as belonging to beneficiary women may be insufficient to protect their agency over cash transfers – i.e.…”