Assessment of Women's Empowerment - A Study Based on Five Districts

The focus of the study is working wives and non-working wives and their involvement in family purchase and financial decision-making from the perspective of consumer behaviour and women empowerment. Family decision-making pattern of working wives and non-working wives shows that their behaviour varies according to resource contribution, type of decisions and products. The study is conducted in five district of West Bengal. The sample of the study consisted of 150 working wives and 150 non-working wives i.e. housewives from five districts of West Bengal, i.e., Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly. The data are collected using the questionnaire based on interview technique. The context of the research explores the socio-economic variables which significantly contribute to explaining the variation of the family purchase and financial decisions making pattern of working wives and non-working wives. Women's involvement in family purchase and financial decision-making contributes to women's empowerment.