Attitudes Towards Women’s Economic Participation

The indicator shows the extent to which your target group members are supportive of women's active economic participation. It helps understand how target groups react to an intervention and change their attitudes toward women's economic participation.

Determine the indicator’s value using the following methodology:

1) Review the pairs of questions recommended below and consider the extent to which they are relevant to the context you operate in. If required, tailor them to the local context. For example, if it is very common for women to work outside the home, you might need to revise one or more of the survey questions. Each pair of questions should always include a question that reflects a common attitude that significantly hinders women’s economic empowerment (e.g. “women should work primarily at home”). Ensure that the questions are not asked in a leading way: from the way they are asked, it should not be immediately clear what the “correct” answer is. Before using the questions, pre-test them with the target group and adjust them accordingly.

2) Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of your target group members:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Introduction: Now, I am going to read a series of statements which come in pairs. Please tell me which of these two statements you agree with more.

Q1.1: Girls should study, so that they can earn money and support their families later.

Q1.2: Girls do not need to study too much, because they will marry, and the husband will take care of them.

A1: _

1) agrees more with the first statement (girls should study to earn money later)

2) agrees more with the second statement (girls do not need to study too much)

Q2.1: It is acceptable for a woman to work outside the home if she is supporting her family economically.

Q2.2: Women should work at home and let their husbands earn money for the family.

A2: _

1) agrees more with the first statement (women can work outside the home)

2) agrees more with the second statement (women should work at home)

Q3.1: If a woman gets the right opportunities, she can be as good a business person as a man.

Q3.2: A woman cannot be as good a business person as a man, even if she gets the right opportunities.

A3: _

1) agrees more with the first statement (a woman can be a good business person)

2) agrees more with the second statement (women cannot be as good as men)

Q4.1: Women should be able to get a loan for establishing or expanding their own business.

Q4.2: Women should not receive loans for establishing or expanding their own business.

A4: _

1) agrees more with the first statement (women should receive loans)

2) agrees more with the second statement (women should NOT receive loans)

3) To calculate the indicator’s value:

1) Provide one point for each supportive response (i.e. Q1.1, 2.1 and 3.1).

2) Add up the total number of points (positive responses).

3) Count the number of respondents who gained at least three points.

4) Divide the number of respondents who gained at least three points by the total number of respondents. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage. 

Disaggregate the data by age group, ethnicity, education level, wealth, and other factors depending on the local context.

1) You may also wish to add or revise certain questions to ensure that you receive a comprehensive understanding of the specific topics of interest. For example, your project may be focusing on promoting female economic participation at very specific stages of the coffee value chain. So, questions might be made more specific to reflect that, for example:

   Q4.1: Women should be able to participate in the selling of the coffee crop.

   Q4.2: Women should not participate in selling the coffee crop, as this is men's job.

2) The results of this exercise can be useful for informing further investigations. For example, if a large percentage of the respondents select one particular option, you might want to understand their reasons for this selection over the alternative option. This can be done using qualitative methods, such as focus group discussions or key informant interviews.

3) Some of the questions can be perceived as sensitive so consider not asking for the respondent's name.