Women’s Employment and Intrahousehold Bargaining Power: Evidence from Nigeria

Although women’s participation in paid employment has increased in recent years, the extent to which this improvement correlates with increased intrahousehold bargaining power (IHBP) remains understudied. Women’s intrahousehold bargaining power plays a critical role in achieving a more inclusive and sustainable economy. This study therefore investigates the relationship between women’s employment status and IHBP in Nigeria using data from the 2013 and 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) to evaluate progress over time. We measured women’s employment status and assessed women’s intrahousehold bargaining power using two indices: the direct bargaining power index (DBPI) and the indirect bargaining power index (IDBPI). We used descriptive analysis including frequency distributions and graphs to summarize and present the data and used two-stage least squares regression as an estimation technique to resolve endogeneity issues. Findings indicated that older and educated women and women who work outside the home exhibited higher scores on the DBPI and IDBPI than their counterparts did. Moreover, Nigerian women’s employment status positively and significantly influenced DBPI and IDBPI in both periods while exhibiting minimal progress over the years. These findings point to the need for targeted interventions that promote egalitarian intrahousehold dynamics to drive a more equitable and sustainable economic growth.