Assessing The Impact Of Women’s Employment Status And Education On Their Empowerment In Pakistan

Abstract

This research aims to explore how women's empowerment is influenced by their level of education and employment status. For this purpose, the binary logistic regression analysis has been performed, using secondary data of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18. Women's decision-making involvement serves as a proxy for women's empowerment in the current study. Women are empowered if they participate in their household income expenditure and large household purchases. The findings indicate that women's empowerment is significantly influenced by both their level of education and employment. Educated women have a greater likelihood to be involved in decisions about their household purchases and household income expenditure than illiterate female.  Women who work for pay are more likely than other women to participate in their major household purchases and spend household income. However, compared to older women, younger women have less decision-making autonomy. It has also been discovered that wealthy women have greater power than those who are poor. Compared to urban women, rural women are less likely to participate in decision. Punjabi women are more likely to be involved in large household purchases and household income expenditure than other women. The likelihood of women participating in decision-making is higher for those who own a home or piece of land than for those who do not. With a greater number of sons, women are more likely to participate in large household purchases and household income expenditure. Compared to households with a male head, households with a female head had greater freedom to make decisions about large household purchases and spend household income. Women who have educated husbands are more likely to be involved in decisions about large household purchases and spend household income.

Keywords: Women’s education, Women’s employment, Participation in major household purchases, Participation in spending household income, Pakistan