Gender Nutrition Methods Workshop- 2013

1. Survey-based tools to measure
assets and control of income
Agnes R. Quisumbing
IFPRI/A4NH

2. Content
I. Defining asset-related indicators
II. Collecting sex-disaggregated data on
assets
III. Measuring control of income

3. I. Defining Asset-related Indicators

4. • Need to specify what we mean by
– Assets
– “Women’s” assets (assets belonging to women
and/or men)
– Asset disparities
– Changes in assets and asset disparities
– Incomes (often difficult to measure), so
consumption expenditures often used as proxy
– Decisionmaking over assets and incomes

5. From capitals to assets
Broad definition of assets to include:
• Natural capital
• Physical capital
• Financial capital
• Human capital
• Social capital
• Political capital
Page 5

6. Natural capital

7. Physical capital

8. Same asset, many capitals

9. Implications
• Can’t possibly
cover all assets
so need to
think carefully
about which
ones really
matter, given
the context

10. What does it mean to “own” an
asset?

11. Types of ownership
Use rights
Decision rights

12. Use rights
• Access
• Extraction
• Commercial
exploitation

13. Decision rights
• Management
• Exclusion
• Alienation

14. Sources and security of rights
• Claims to rights come from multiple
sources, and can overlap and change

15. Implications
• Easy to focus on (and measure)
“decision” rights but in some cases
“access” rights can be important
• For certain kinds of assets (eg land)
may need to include type and
security of rights along with quantity
and value of asset as part of the
indicator

16. • Contextual information on
sources of rights and what can
strengthen and weaken them is
important for evaluating
projects (implementing them!)

17. Types of owners
• Individuals
• Partners (joint)
• Groups (collective)

18. Implications
• Need to include joint ownership option in
surveys but we need to understand what “joint
ownership” means in specific contexts (does it
mean name on document only? Does it mean
joint decisionmaking on use of asset?)
• Some collectively-owned assets can be
“individualized” but others not

19. How to measure assets & asset changes
•
•
•
•
Quantity/quality of specific asset(s)
Assets index
Value of assets
Type or security of rights

20. Asset disparities
• Disparity is the ratio of women’s assets to men’s
assets
• How can the disparity be reduced?
– Increase women’s assets
– Decrease men’s assets
– Increase both, but women’s more
• But remember, changes in rights is not always zerosum, particularly because of the joint asset
category

21. II. Collecting
sex-disaggregated data on assets

22. • Multiple methods, data sources and
sequencing
• Baseline surveys
• Field implementation issues

23. Data collection: national and community level
– Use of existing
national-level data
(DHS, national
statistics),
administrative data,
existing studies
– Focus groups at
community level, for
example to get at local
norms
Page 23

24. Quantitative methods: household
level
• Household and
individual surveys,
particularly panel
surveys
• Take advantage of
existing sexdisaggregated data sets
and build a panel
Page 24

25. Qualitative methods
• Ethnography, case studies, life histories
Page 25

26. Q-squared: Integrated qual and quant
• Sequenced and integrated qualitative and
quantitative data analysis
– For example, quantitative surveys can be used to
draw up the sampling frame for the life histories
work or FGDs
Page 26

27. How can questionnaire modules can be designed to
look at asset accumulation from a gender
perspective?
• In what topics can data collection can be sex-disaggregated?
• How can the same basic question (say, control of land and
assets) be adapted to specific contexts, using survey modules
on the same topic, but administered in different settings?
• What issues of survey implementation are important?

28. What does a baseline questionnaire look like?
Where can we insert/modify modules to look at gender
issues in a standard household survey?
• Basic baseline information: in RED
• Typical module with sex-disaggregated info ALWAYS
collected: purple cells
• Sex-disaggregated info SOMETIMES collected: orange cells
• Specialized module with sex-disaggregated info ALWAYS
collected: green cells

29. Basic and Extended Questionnaire
Design of Socio-economic modules
Module
Basic?
Sexdisaggregated
information?
About which hh member?
A
Roster—very important, since all
Ids in subsequent modules will
come from here
Yes
Yes
All!
B
Education of head and
household members
Yes
Yes
All
C
Nonfood consumption
Partly (clothing,
footwear)
All (typically collected at hh
level)
D
Food consumption
Depends
on focus of
survey, but
ideal
No (but see
section on
nutrition
modules)
All (typically collected at hh
level)

30. Contents of a household roster
ID
Name
Sex
Age
Reln to
head
Marital
Status
Education
1
2
3
4
5
You can also add columns on literacy, migration status, etc.
Main
occupat
ion

31. Socio-economic modules (cont’d)
Module
Basic?
Sexdisaggregated
information?
Which hh member?
E
Land area and crops grown
Yes
Yes
ID of person who manages the plot
ID of plot owner, if different from
manager
F
Major Crop Production
Yes, if
ag
survey
Yes
ID of plot manager (household
member)
G
Agricultural Wage Labor
Possibl
y
Yes
ID of laborer
H
Other Income
Possibl
y
Yes
ID of people with other incomes,
businesses, ID of people sending
and receiving remittances

32. Socio-economic modules (cont’d)
Module
Baseline?
Sexdisaggregated?
Which hh
member?
J
Assets
Ideally
Yes
ID of asset owner
K
Group Membership
Ideally
Yes
ID of group
member
L
Savings
Possible
Yes
ID of account
owner
M
Credit and Lending
Ideally
Yes
ID of borrower

33. Additional consumption, health, and
nutrition-related modules
Module
Baseline?
Sex-disaggregated?
Which hh member?
N
24-hour individual food
recall
Depends
on purpose
of survey
Yes
all
O
Dietary diversity
Ideally
Yes
all
P
Reproductive health
Depends
on purpose
of survey
Yes
Women
Q
Anthropometry and
morbidity
Ideally
Yes
all
Some of these indicators are more expensive to collect (e.g.
24-hour individual food recall) and will require highly trained enumerators.
Sometimes a good dietary diversity survey will do the trick.

34. Additional gender-related modules
Module
Baseline?
Sex-disaggregated?
Which hh member?
R
Labor use and time use by
sex
Yes
Yes
Main male and female,
could also include children
depending on focus
S
Domains of decisionmaking
authority, especially about
assets
Yes
Yes
Main male and female
T
Control of cash income and
use of income
Yes
Yes
Main male and female
U
Level of gender-related
conflict and violence
Ideally
Typically only woman is
asked
Main woman
Caveat in fielding questions about domestic violence:
Need to have trained enumerators with knowledge about services available
Need to protect privacy of respondents and not subject them to greater risk

35. Engendering the asset module (simple)
Asset (g)
Animal
• ID of owner
• ID of
decisionmaker
on sales
Cattle
Horses
Sheep/goats
Poultry
Pigs
Domestic assets
Cooker
Kitchen cupboard
Refrigerator
Radio
Television
DVD player
Cell phone
Chairs
Mosquito nets
Gas stove
Spades/shovels
Ploughs
Number
owned
ID of owner
ID of
decisionmaker for
sale

36. Ownership of Assets (from WEAI)
MODULE G3: ACCESS TO PRODUCTIVE CAPITAL – page 3
.Productive Capital
Does anyone in How many of
Who would you Who would you say can Who would you say
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
Productive Capital
Agricultural land
(pieces/plots)
your household
currently have
any [ITEM]?
Yes 1
No
2 >> next
item
G3.01a
[ITEM] does your say owns most of decide whether to sell
household
the [ITEM]?
[ITEM] most of the
time?
currently have?
G3.01b
G3.02
G3.03
Who would you say can
Who contributes most to
can decide whether decide to mortgage or rent decisions regarding a new
to give away [ITEM] out [ITEM] most of the
purchase of [ITEM]?
most of the time?
time?
G3.04
G3.05
G3.06
Large livestock (oxen, cattle)
Small livestock (goats, pigs,
sheep)
Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys,
Pigeons
Fish pond or fishing
equipment
Farm equipment (nonmechanized)
Farm equipment
(mechanized)
Nonfarm business
equipment
House (and other structures)
Large consumer durables
(fridge, TV, sofa)
Small consumer durables
(radio, cookware)
Cell phone
Other land not used for
agricultural purposes
(pieces, residential or
commercial land)
Means of transportation
(bicycle, motorcycle, car)
G3.02-G3.06: Decision-making and control over productive capital
Self…………………………………………………………………………..1
Partner/Spouse ……………………………………………………….2
Self and partner/spouse jointly…………………………………3
Other household member …………….. ………………………..4
Self and other household member(s)…………………………5
Partner/Spouse and other household member(s)……….6
Someone (or group of people) outside the household...7
Self and other outside people…………………………………....8
Partner/Spouse and other outside people………………….9
Self, partner/spouse and other outside people.............10

37. Purchase, sale, or transfer of assets (from WEAI)
MODULE G3: ACCESS TO PRODUCTIVE CAPITAL – page 3
.
Does anyone in How many of
Who would you Who would you say can Who would you say
Productive Capital
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
Productive Capital
Agricultural land
(pieces/plots)
your household
currently have
any [ITEM]?
Yes 1
No
2 >> next
item
G3.01a
[ITEM] does your say owns most of decide whether to sell
household
the [ITEM]?
[ITEM] most of the
time?
currently have?
G3.01b
G3.02
G3.03
Who would you say can
Who contributes most to
can decide whether decide to mortgage or rent decisions regarding a new
to give away [ITEM] out [ITEM] most of the
purchase of [ITEM]?
most of the time?
time?
G3.04
G3.05
G3.06
Large livestock (oxen, cattle)
Small livestock (goats, pigs,
sheep)
Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys,
Pigeons
Fish pond or fishing
equipment
Farm equipment (nonmechanized)
Farm equipment
(mechanized)
Nonfarm business
equipment
House (and other structures)
Large consumer durables
(fridge, TV, sofa)
Small consumer durables
(radio, cookware)
Cell phone
Other land not used for
agricultural purposes
(pieces, residential or
commercial land)
Means of transportation
(bicycle, motorcycle, car)
G3.02-G3.06: Decision-making and control over productive capital
Self…………………………………………………………………………..1
Partner/Spouse ……………………………………………………….2
Self and partner/spouse jointly…………………………………3
Other household member …………….. ………………………..4
Self and other household member(s)…………………………5
Partner/Spouse and other household member(s)……….6
Someone (or group of people) outside the household...7
Self and other outside people…………………………………....8
Partner/Spouse and other outside people………………….9
Self, partner/spouse and other outside people.............10
G3.02-G3.06: Decision-making and control over productive capital

38. III. Measuring control of income

39. Control over Use of Income (1 of 2)
MODULE G2: ROLE IN HOUSEHOLD DECISION-MAKING AROUND PRODUCTION
AND INCOME GENERATION – page 2
Activity
Activity Activity Description
Code
Food crop farming: crops that are grown primarily for
A
household food consumption
B
How much input did
you have in making
decisions about
[ACTIVITY]?
G2.02
How much input
did you have in
decisions on the
use of income
generated from
[ACTIVITY]
G2.03
Cash crop farming: crops that are grown primary for sale in
the market
C
Did you (singular)
participate in [ACTIVITY] in
the past 12 months (that is
during the last [one/two]
cropping seasons)?
Yes
1
No
2 >> next activity
G2.01
Livestock raising
Non-farm economic activities: Small business, selfemployment, buy-and-sell
D
E
Wage and salary employment: in-kind or monetary work
both agriculture and other wage work
F
Fishing or fishpond culture
G2.02/G2.03: Input into decision making
No input…….. …….. …….. …….. ……..1
Input into very few decisions ……..2
Input into some decisions…….. ……3
Input into most decisions
….. ….. ..4
Input into all decisions….. ….. ….. ..5
No decision made……………………….6

40. Control over use of Income (2 of 2)
MODULE G5: DECISION MAKING -- page 7
ENUMERATOR: Ask G5.01 for all categories of activities
before asking G5.02. Do not ask G5.02 if G5.01
response is 1 and respondent is male OR G5.01
response is 2 and respondent is female.
When decisions are made regarding the
following aspects of household life, who is it
that normally takes the decision?
Ask only if G5.01 is 1 and respondent is female,
G5.01 is 2 and respondent is male, or G5.01 is
3-7.
If household does not engage in that particular activity,
enter 98 and proceed to next activity.
G5.01
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
To what extent do you feel you can make your
own personal decisions regarding these
aspects of household life if you want(ed) to?
G5.02
Getting inputs for agricultural
production
The types of crops to grow for
agricultural production
Taking crops to the market (or not)
Livestock raising
Your own (singular) wage or salary
employment
Major household expenditures (such
as a large appliance for the house like
refrigerator)
Minor household expenditures (such
as food for daily consumption or other
household needs)
G5.01: Who makes decision
Main male or husband………………………………1 (if MALE)
Main female or wife ………………....2 (if FEMALE)
Husband and wife jointly…………………3
Someone else in the household…………………4
Jointly with someone else inside the
household…………………5
Jointly with someone else outside the
household…………………6
G5.02: Extent of participation in decision making
Not at all …………………………1
Small extent……………………..2
Medium extent…………………..3
To a high extent…………………4

41. Field implementation issues
• Who should be interviewed? “head of
household?”
• Should the head of household answer for
all household members?
• Different people will report different
things—need to reconcile

42. Field implementation issues, cont’d
• Privacy important, but especially important for asset issues
(hidden assets)
• Should field teams employ men and women?
• Examples:
– Pakistan and Bangladesh surveys have teams of men and women
– Surveys in the Philippines almost always employ women (trust and
safety issues)
– Surveys in Guatemala City employ women to interviewer (safety
issues)
– Most interviewers in our other surveys are men (small cadre of
women to draw on)
• Need to train and employ skilled qualitative field personnel

43. Concluding remarks
• Context, context, context
• Identify focus of study to avoid getting lost in
details
• Mixed methods: hh survey should ideally be
informed by qualitative work; quantitative and
qualitative work can be iterative
• Learn from experience of others in the field,
especially in the same country