Assessing geographic variation in women’s decision-making power across 720 districts in India, 2016–2021

Women’s ability to make decisions in personal and family matters is a crucial component of their agency, often shaped by geographically clustered and hierarchically structured social and cultural factors. Despite its importance, district-level research on women’s decision-making in India is scarce, especially considering the country’s diverse socio-cultural contexts. This study examines women’s participation in decision-making across 720 districts in India, with a focus on exploring the geographical patterns of variation. Using data from the 2016 and 2021 rounds of the National Family Health Survey, we analyzed data from currently married women aged 15–49 years in India. The final analytical sample included 86,694 women from 2016 to 76,910 women from 2021. We employed a four-level logistic regression model using Markov Chain Monte Carlo estimation to examine geographic patterns of women’s decision-making across 720 districts in India. Women’s participation in household decision-making increased between 2016 and 2021, with the median district prevalence rising from 85.38% to 89.87%. In 2016, relatively low levels of participation in decision-making (< 80%) were geographically widespread across districts. By 2021, women’s decision-making participation increased in 312 districts (≥ 5.00%), whereas declines were observed in 100 districts based on a more conservative threshold (≤–2.5%). Both improvements and declines were geographically dispersed, indicating that changes in women’s decision-making power did not follow a clear regional pattern. While women’s decision-making power in India has improved overall, the direction and magnitude of change continue to vary widely from district to district across the country. This observed geographic heterogeneity underscores persistent structural and normative barriers to women’s agency. Addressing these geographic disparities requires context-specific policies that are responsive to local socio-cultural dynamics, including family structures and gender norms.