Format | |
---|---|
BibTeX | |
MARCXML | |
TextMARC | |
MARC | |
DublinCore | |
EndNote | |
NLM | |
RefWorks | |
RIS |
Files
Abstract
Highlighting the problems posed by a "unitary" conceptualization of the household,
a number of economists have in recent years proposed alternative models. These models,
especially those embodying the bargaining approach, provide a useful framework for
analyzing gender relations and throw some light on how gender asymmetries are
constructed and contested. At the same time, the models have paid inadequate or no
attention to some critical aspects of intrahousehold gender dynamics, such as: what
factors (especially qualitative ones) affect bargaining power? What is the role of social
norms and social perceptions in the bargaining process and how might these factors
themselves be bargained over? Are women less motivated than men by self-interest and
might this affect bargaining outcomes? Most discussions on bargaining also say little
about gender relations beyond the household, and about the links between extrahousehold
and intrahousehold bargaining power. This paper spells out the nature of these
complexities and their importance in determining the outcomes of intrahousehold
dynamics. It also extends the bargaining approach beyond the household to the
interlinked arenas of the market, the community, and the State.