What role do Indonesian women play in household decision making? An assessment of Amartya Sen’s cooperative-conflict model

Seminar Paper , 2012 , 22 Pages , Grade: 85

Economics - Case Scenarios

Indonesia offers an interesting case in order to study the bargaining power of women within households. The country of Indonesia was created due to the Dutch colonial rule and consists of over 13,000 islands offering a wide range of ethnic variety with the largest ethnic groups being Javanese (41%), Sundanese (15%) and Maudareses (4%); still leaving another 41% belonging to other ethnic groups (The PRS Group, 2011). Furthermore while Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, they only make up 86% of the total population; other larger religious groups are Catholics, Protestants, Hindus and Buddhists (The PRS Group, 2011). This variety will offer different possibilities in order to investigate the role Indonesian women play in household decision making. In this context Amartya Sen’s cooperative conflict model will be assessed.

Households produce Z-goods, which are household resources, in order to gain utility leading to economies of scale which means that larger households can achieve the same level of Z-goods as a smaller household while needing less time and money (Himmelweit & Santos, 2008). In order to produce Z-goods most efficiently members of the household specialise, whereas the husband usually specialises in paid work while the wife specialises in unpaid work; however the specialisation becomes critical in case of an end of the household due to death, divorce or separation and suddenly the household is lacking either the person taking care of the household or the one earning money (Himmelweit & Santos, 2008). Yet the specialisation may also not be equally distributed between different members of the household and the welfare of all members may depend on one or more member’s caring preferences (Himmelweit & Santos, 2008).

Therefore this report will first explore the influence of caring preferences among household members. Afterwards two unitary models, Samuelson’s approach considering a household as a black-box and Becker’s rotten kid approach will be described. These models do not consider household members who do not have equal bargaining power and therefore Sen’s cooperative conflict model will be investigated. In order to assess his model the book “Schleier Sarong Minirock” by Berninghausen, Kerstan and Soeprapto-Jansen (2009) will be used in order to getting an idea of how women live in Java, Bali, Lombok and Aceh and how norms of society influence their life.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Method
• Description and Discussion of evidence
• Conclusion
• Appendices
• References

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This secondary data project aims to assess the bargaining power of Indonesian women within households, specifically examining the role of caring preferences and the applicability of Amartya Sen's cooperative-conflict model. The project utilizes existing data and research to analyze the factors influencing women's decision-making power in Indonesian households.

• The influence of caring preferences on household decision-making.
• The limitations of unitary models (Samuelson's and Becker's) in representing household dynamics.
• The application of Sen's cooperative-conflict model to understand women's bargaining power in Indonesian households.
• The impact of social norms and cultural factors on women's roles and decision-making.
• The role of education and economic factors in shaping women's autonomy within households.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The introduction provides an overview of the research topic, highlighting the unique context of Indonesia with its diverse ethnic and religious groups. It introduces Amartya Sen's cooperative-conflict model as a framework for analyzing women's bargaining power within households.

The literature review delves into the concept of caring preferences, exploring how individuals' utility can be influenced by the well-being of others. It examines the limitations of unitary models, such as Samuelson's black-box approach and Becker's rotten kid theorem, in accounting for the complexities of household decision-making.

The chapter on method outlines the research methodology employed in the project, including the use of secondary data and specific sources like "Schleier Sarong Minirock" by Berninghausen, Kerstan and Soeprapto-Jansen (2009) and data generated by Rammohan and Johar (2009). It also discusses the relevance of studies on women's illiteracy in Indonesia by Gallaway and Bernasek (2004) and the Global Gender Gap report.

The chapter on description and discussion of evidence presents a detailed analysis of the collected data, examining the influence of caring preferences, social norms, education, and economic factors on women's bargaining power within Indonesian households. It explores the different perspectives and experiences of women in various regions of Indonesia, drawing on case studies and statistical data.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include Indonesian women, household decision-making, bargaining power, caring preferences, Amartya Sen's cooperative-conflict model, social norms, cultural factors, education, economic factors, and gender equality in Indonesia.

• College: The Open University
• Grade: 85
• Author: Angela Kuhnert (Author)
• Publication Year: 2012
• Pages: 22
• Catalog Number: V280168
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656747444
• ISBN (Book): 9783656747406
• Language: English
• Tags: household decision making, amartya sen, indonesia, women