Women's Resource Position and Household Food Expenditures in Cebu, the Philippines

Kammi K. Schmeer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Recent studies have shown that women's income, more than men's, is directed towards increasing household well-being. This study furthers research in this area by evaluating the effect of married women's household resource position on food expenditures in the Philippines. Women's resource position is operationalized using measures of: percent of household income earned by women, proportion of spouse income transferred to women, women's control over spending their income, and women's control over buying food. Controlling for household socio-economic level and caloric need, women's income and spouse transfers positively affect food expenditures. Women's control over their income positively affects food expenditures when women earn at least 19% of household income. In households below median income, women's control matters more than in the full sample, while spouse transfers are only significant in households above median income. These findings indicate women may influence household resource allocation through various mechanisms, and that the importance of each mechanism depends on households' economic circumstances.