Purpose In recent years, women's empowerment has become a key focus in global development efforts, particularly in developing countries. However, the impact of financial empowerment on women's subjective wellbeing (SWB) remains understudied despite its potential significance for policy. We aim to fill this gap by examining the effects of financial empowerment on the SWB of women in India. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the Financial Inclusion Insights survey, this study measures financial empowerment through a multidimensional framework that captures both financial resources and agency. We employ regression analyses to examine the relationship between financial empowerment and women's SWB, complemented by robustness checks using Lewbel's two-stage least squares (2SLS), propensity score matching (PSM), coarsened exact matching (CEM) and alternative measures of SWB. Findings Our results show that an increase in the level of financial empowerment is associated with better SWB for women. This result is robust to different estimation approaches and alternative ways of measuring SWB. We also explore how each dimension of financial empowerment, i.e. agency and resources, affects women's SWB. Originality/value This study adds to the limited research on financial empowerment by examining its multidimensional nature and its effects on women's SWB. By analysing the distinct roles of financial resources and agency, it offers a nuanced understanding of this relationship. The findings provide practical insights for policymakers and development practitioners seeking to design more effective empowerment initiatives in developing country contexts.
Building similarity graph...
Analyzing shared references across papers
Loading...
Naseef et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
www.synapsesocial.com/papers/69ada8a1bc08abd80d5bbc28 — DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/jes-05-2025-0297
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:
Mohemmad Naseef
Salu Prasad
Muhammed Rafi
Journal of Economic Studies
Manipal Academy of Higher Education
T A Pai Management Institute
International Business School
Building similarity graph...
Analyzing shared references across papers
Loading...