This document discusses a study on the problems faced by married non-working women in making decisions regarding household affairs. It aims to understand the difficulties faced, coping strategies adopted, and ways to overcome issues. The study found that non-working women have low participation in decision making. Common problems included emotions, financial constraints, differences of opinion, time/situation pressures, and ego. Coping strategies like staying calm, visiting temples, sharing with elders, crying, going out, sleeping, and talking to neighbors were used. The conclusion suggests empowering women with equal status and decision making power in families for their well-being and effective management of household responsibilities.

1. 567
T. Ezhilarasi, “A Study on Problems Faced by Married Non-Working Women While Taking Decisions
in Their Household Affairs” - (ICAM 2016)
A STUDY ON PROBLEMS FACED BY MARRIED NON-WORKING
WOMEN WHILE TAKING DECISIONS IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD AFFAIRS
T. Ezhilarasi
Research Scholar
Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore
ABSTRACT
The process of decision making is one of the most complex mechanisms of human
thinking. one of our major and constant activities is making decisions. Some decisions we
make of our choosing, but many others are focused upon us. The most important aspect of
making decisions is that as often as possible they should be right decisions. Right decisions
usually conclude as issue, but wrong decisions call for more and more decisions in order to
rectify the mistake of the initial decision. Some decisions are irrevocable and once they are
made they cannot be retracted. So it is very important in these cases that the decisions are
well thought out and not fast made. Women plays a vital role in the family. Even though the
women are not going out for a work they have to face a lot of problems in and out of their
households. Making decisions in the households is complex task now a days. Here as attempt
is made to study problem faced by non-working women while making decisions in their
household affairs and to study the coping strategies adopted to manage the problem faced by
them. Structured questionnaire were used to collect the data. Primary data were used.
Convenient random sampling has been for sampling techniques100 non-working women were
employed to collect the data. Simple percentage analysis, chi-square test were used to utilize
the data. It is found that only less number of women were coming forward to make decisions
in their households.
Key words: Decision Making, Household Affairs, Non-Working Women
Cite this Article: T. Ezhilarasi. A Study on Problems Faced by Married Non-Working
Women While Taking Decisions in Their Household Affairs. International Journal of
Management, 7(2), 2016, pp. 567-571.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp
1. INTRODUCTION
Women play the vital role in the smooth surviving of the family. In present scenario housewives had to
make lots of decisions in their home. They are facing lots of problems in that. And they are facing
different problem every day. Since they are not going outside the home they have to face lots of
problems in their household affairs. Now a days women are involving themselves with the decision
making in spite of their family members considering them are not. Non-working Mothers are
sacrificing themselves for the well-being of their family members.
Decision making:
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2. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 -
6510(Online), Volume 7, Issue 2, February (2016), pp. 567-571 © IAEME Publication
568
T. Ezhilarasi, “A Study on Problems Faced by Married Non-Working Women While Taking Decisions
in Their Household Affairs” - (ICAM 2016)
The thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options
When trying to make a good decision, a person must weigh the positives and negatives of each option,
and consider all the alternatives. For effective decision making, a person must be able to forecast the
outcome of each option as well, and based on all these items, determine which option is the best for
that particular situation.
2. DECISION MAKING PROCESS
DECISION MAKING PROCESS TAKES FOLLOWING STAGES
1. Identification of the problem.
2. Obtaining information about the possible alternatives for formulating the course of action.
3. Considering the consequence of each alternative i.e. making an evaluation,
4. Selecting the curse of action that seems the best, and
5. Accepting the consequence of decision and evolve feedback.
3. COMPETING DECISION MAKERS
Some decisions are difficult because of the need to take into account how other people in the situation
will respond to the decision that is taken. The analysis of such social decisions is more often treated
under the label of game theory, rather than decision theory, though it involves the same mathematical
methods. From the standpoint of game theory most of the problems treated in decision theory are one-
player games (or the one player is viewed as playing against an impersonal background situation). In
the emerging socio-cognitive engineering, the research is especially focused on the different types of
distributed decision-making in human organizations, in normal and abnormal/emergency/crisis
situations.
4. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
RangalataKhandai (2006), the objectives of the study was to delineate the areas of decision making of
urban working and non-working women with respect to home activities. To know the socio – personal
characteristics and decision making pattern, to identify the constraints and stress management
techniques adopted. Majority of the working and non-working women take decisions joint decisions in
the education of their children. 83 percentage of working women and 70 percentage of non-working
women adopting stress management techniques to manage their physical and mental stress.
Syeda Qudisa Batool (2007), the purpose of the study was to analyze the nature & type of decisions
taken by women at domestic level both in rural & urban of sample area & to identify that how married
women’s position with the household influence their power & autonomy. The results showed that men
play the Major role. The study indicates that women’s decision-making power at household level play
an importance role in achieving gender balance. There some social & culture factors that prohibit
women to make decision independently. Men & other family members play dominant role in decision
made at household level.
Muzamil Jan (2008), Decision making process is generally influenced by the level of knowledge.
Women are the integral part of family and vital force in the socio-economic progress. The present study
is undertaken to analyze the Decision-Making Power among married and unmarried women. In this
study the author says that women possess low decision-making power in their families. Majority of the
women holds egalitarian decision – making power related children health. The paper reveals that there
is no significant differences between married and unmarried women regarding their decision making
power. However, highly significant differences are observed, between married and unmarried women,
related to their empowerment. Women generally possess low decision making power and are mainly
dependent on masculine and/or familial decision making It is concluded that For the smooth running of
a family, it is very important that equal status and equal power should be given to the basic constituents
of family, i.e., man and woman so that they can rear up their children in a better way, and solve their
day to day problems for achieving their desired goals. Women possess low decision-making power in
their families. Married and unmarried women also hold familial decision-making power for visiting to

3. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 -
6510(Online), Volume 7, Issue 2, February (2016), pp. 567-571 © IAEME Publication
569
T. Ezhilarasi, “A Study on Problems Faced by Married Non-Working Women While Taking Decisions
in Their Household Affairs” - (ICAM 2016)
their relatives. Women also possess masculine decision-making power for visiting to their friends and
familial decision-making power for sale and purchase of property.
5. OBJECTIVES
 To study the demographic variables of Non-working women.
 To understand the problems faced by Non-working women while making decisions in their
household affairs.
 To analyze the coping strategies adopted to manage the problems.
 To suggest the way to overcome from the problems of the Non-working women.
6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research is a common prevalence refers to a search for knowledge. Once can also define research as a
scientific and systematic research for pertinent information on a specific topic. In fact it is an art of
scientific investigation.
7. RESEARCH DESIGN
The formidable problem that follows the task of defining the research problem is the preparation of
design of the research project, popularly known as the “research design”. A research design is the
arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine
relevance to the research purpose with economy procedure. The design includes an outline of what the
researcher will do from writing the hypothesis and its operational implications to the final analysis of
data.
8. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND SAMPLE SIZE
Convenient random sampling has been used. 100 non-working women were used to collect the data.
Here primary data were used to collect the data. Here the simple percentage analysis and fried man test
were used to analyze the collected data.
9. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The following table and chart shows the classification of respondents based on their demographic
variables.
Table 1 Classification based on their demographic variables
S.NO Demographic variables Percentage
1. Age
53%
(36-40 years)
2. Education qualification
39%
(UG)
3. Area of residence
100%
(Semi urban)
4. Type of family
58%
(Joint Family)
5. Family size
45%
4 members
6. Spouse employment
34%
(others)
7. Your family members staying with you?
56%
(No)
8. Children you have
66%
(2)
9. Monthly expenditure in your family
34%
(20000-30000)

4. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 -
6510(Online), Volume 7, Issue 2, February (2016), pp. 567-571 © IAEME Publication
570
T. Ezhilarasi, “A Study on Problems Faced by Married Non-Working Women While Taking Decisions
in Their Household Affairs” - (ICAM 2016)
S.NO Demographic variables Percentage
10. Participation in DM
80%
(Yes)
11. Husbands family members staying with you?
64%
(No)
12. Spouse help you in household activities?
78%
(No)
Source: primary data.
INFERENCE
Herein out of 100 non-working women 53% of the non-working women belongs to the age group of
36-40 years of age.39% of the non-working women are holding Under graduate degree.100% of the
non-working women are residing in semiurban.58% of the non-working women are in joint family.
45% of the non-working women on-working women family size is 4 memebers.34% of the non-
working women spouse are farmers, entrepreneurs etc. 56% of the non-working women family
members are not staying with them.34% of the non-working women’s monthly expenditure in their
home is ₹20000-₹30000.66% of the non-working women are having 2 children.80 % of the non-
working women do participate in Decision making in their household affairs.64% of the non-working
women spouse family members are not staying with them.78% of the non-working women spouse are
not helping in their household affairs.
Table 2 Friedman test for problems faced by non-working women while making decisions in their
household affairs.
S.NO Problems faced by non- working women Mean rank
1. Emotions 2.55
2. Financial constraints 2.70
3. Time and situations 2.94
4. Difference of opinion 3.01
5. Ego 3.80
Source: primary data
INFERENCE
The above table shows the following problems faced by the non-working women they are Emotions,
financial constraints, difference of opinions, time and situations, ego in that the variable Emotions rank
first of mean score 2.55. Then the variable financial constraints rank second of men score 2.70.
Table 3 Coping strategies adopted by non-working women
S.NO Coping strategies by non- working women Mean rank
1. Sitcalm 2.86
2. Gototemple 3.46
3. Sharing with elders in the family 3.62
4. Crying 4.38
5. Goout 4.72
6. Sleeping 4.92
7. Talkingwithneighbors 5.18
8. Beatingthechildren 6.86
Source: Primary data

5. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 -
6510(Online), Volume 7, Issue 2, February (2016), pp. 567-571 © IAEME Publication
571
T. Ezhilarasi, “A Study on Problems Faced by Married Non-Working Women While Taking Decisions
in Their Household Affairs” - (ICAM 2016)
INFERENCE
The above table shows that the following are the coping strategies adopted by non-working women to
manage the problems faced in their household they are as follows sit calm, go to temple, sharing with
elders in the family, crying, go out, sleeping, talking with neighbors, beating the children. In that the
variable sit calm rank first. Go to temple rank second. From this it is to suggest that the non-working
women can do some physical exercise to overcome from that this will give a mental torture and will
end up in psychological problem. Open speaking will help them to get rid from the problem.
10. CONCLUSION
For the even running of a personal life , it is very vital that the same status and the same power should
be given to the simple constituents of family, i.e., man and woman so that they can rear up their
children in a better way, and solve their day to day problems for achieving their desired goals. Women
possess low decision-making power in their relations. Non-working women hold non-specific decision
making power for contribution in fiscal activities of the personal.
REFERENCE
[1] Rangalatakhandai, 2006. “A study on decision making pattern of urban working and non-
working women in home activities in Dharwad district of Karnataka” Thesis report.
[2] Syeda Qudisa Batool and M.A.Sajid, 2007. “Role of women in decision making: - A case
of AJ &K” International review of business research papers Vol: 3, no: 3, pp-69-82.
[3] Muzamil Jan and Shubeena Akhtar.2008 “An analysis of decision making – making
power among married and unmarried women” stud, home.comm.sci, Vol. 2, Issue: 1,
pp.43-58.
[4] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/decision-making.html#ixzz3AAHPIQw1.
[5] Kothari, C.R. (2004). Research methodology Methods and techniques. New age
international publishers, New Delhi.