Women's Autonomy and Subjective Well-Being is a multi-item measure of gender norms in women's autonomy and subjective well being, captured by questions on control, mobility, and perceived happiness. The measure is assessed separately for men and women, with 4 and 5 items each, respectively.
Short Measure
Warning Flag
Women's items
Autonomy
1. I have control over my own life.
Response Options:
Strongly Disagree - 1
Disagree - 2
Neither Agree nor Disagree - 3
Agree - 4
Strongly Agree - 5
2. I am able to go to a doctor without asking a man.
3. I am able to go to the market without asking a man
Response Options:
Agree - 1
Disagree - 2
Happiness
4. How happy are you with your life in general?
Response Options:
Very Unhappy - 1
Unhappy - 2
Neither Unhappy nor Happy - 3
Happy - 4
Very Happy - 5
Men's items
Autonomy
1. I have control over my own life.
Response Options
Strongly Disagree - 1
Disagree - 2
Neither Agree nor Disagree - 3
Agree - 4
Strongly Agree - 5
2. Women should be able to go to community meetings on their own.
3. Women should be able to go to the doctor without a male escort.
4. Women should be able to go to the market without male permission.
Response Options
Agree - 1
Disagree - 2
Happiness
5. How happy are you with your life in general?
Response Options
Very Unhappy - 1
Unhappy - 2
Neither Unhappy nor Happy - 3
Happy - 4
Very Happy - 5
GEOGRAPHIES TESTED:
POPULATIONS INCLUDED:
Female
Male
AGE RANGE:
Mean scores are calculated across groups.
PRIMARY CITATION:
de Hoop, T., van Kempen, L., Linssen, R., & van Eerdewijk, A. (2014). Women's autonomy and subjective well-being: How gender norms shape the impact of self-help groups in Odisha, India. Feminist Economics, 20(3), 103-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2014.893388
Qualitative Research
Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework
Field Expert Input
Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing
Internal
Test-retest
Interrater
Content
Face
Criterion (gold-standard)
Construct
Total Score: 3.50/8 Points (MEDIUM)
For more details, see Scoring Methodology
Measure came from a peer-reviewed journal with a low impact score and/or inadequate information on psychometrics, but is an under-represented gender equality and empowerment construct