The relationship between monetary poverty and female (dis)empowerment has been extensively explored. In contrast, empirical research on the association between multidimensional poverty and female (dis)empowerment across low- and middle‐income countries (LMICs) remains limited. This study contributes to filling this gap by examining both the association and the overlap between non‐income multidimensional poverty and disempowerment, using data from partnered women aged 15–49 drawn from Demographic and Health Surveys in 32 LMICs across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania. We measure poverty and disempowerment using two Alkire–Foster‐based indices: the global Multidimensional Poverty Index and the Multidimensional Women’s Disempowerment Index. We find a positive, albeit moderate, cross‐country association between multidimensional poverty and disempowerment. In most countries, poor women face higher disempowerment rates than non‐poor women. In half of the countries, over 29% of women are simultaneously poor and disempowered, with large variation—from 65% in Mali to under 1% in the Philippines and Armenia. In others, like Ethiopia or Tajikistan, many women are poor yet empowered or non‐poor yet disempowered, respectively. Individual-level regressions confirm a moderate positive association. These findings offer new cross-country evidence on the links between SDGs 1 (No Poverty) and 5 (Gender Equality).
Clausen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.