Female participation in housing activities: some assessment of the socio-economic and cultural impact.

Abstract

Ordinary least squares techniques (logit and probit models yielded similar results) were used to assess the impact of sociocultural and economic conditions on women's physical or financial involvement in housing activities: construction, repairs, improvements, and additions in Pakistan. Explanatory variables were the number of men and women, family income, employment, literacy, extended family on the same or different budget, decision making by women, joint decision making, urbanization, and ethnic origin. Data were obtained from a survey undertaken by the AERC/World Bank in 1989 of 829 households (370 urban and 454 rural). A description is provided of women's role in housing, the nature of activities in which women participate, and the factors that influence their participation. Women's participation could involve decision making, contributions of assets or savings, and/or physical labor or supervision of physical construction of housing. The results indicated a uniform pattern in the performance of explanatory variables. Financially, urban women tended to participate more in financial dealings than rural women. Significant explanatory factors impacting on the proportion of women contributing financially toward housing were women's own income, their employment, their involvement in decision making for that activity, their nuclear household, and an urban location. A significant negative factor was family size. Literacy had no effect. Rural women tended to participate more in the physical construction of housing than urban women. Positive impacts on physical participation were a nuclear household, women's involvement in decision making, her employment, and a rural location. Literacy had a significant negative influence on physical participation. Unexpectedly, the number of adult females had a significant negative effect on physical or supervisory participation; the number of adult males was positive and insignificant. Factors influencing women's supervisory participation were women's employment and their involvement in decision making.