Resources and Decision - Making in the Household_1

Barrett and McIntosh -  Men gain far more from women's domestic work than they give back in financial support The financial support that husbands give to their wives is often unpredictable and comes with 'strings attached' Men usually make the decisions about spending on important items

Kempson - found that among low income families, women denied their own needs e.g. going out, in order to make ends meet.In many households, a woman has no entitlement to a share of household resources in her own right - likely to spend money on essentials for children. 

Pahl and Vogler- Pooling - where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility e.g. joint bank accountAllowance system - where men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet family's needs. 

P+V found that pooling was more common among couples where both partners worked full time. - Found that men still made major decisions

Edgell - Very important decisions - made by husband or jointly but husband had final sayImportant Decisions - Usually jointly or by wife aloneLess Important - Made by wife

Feminists argue that inequalities in decision making arent simply the resuly of inequalities in earnings - patriarchal society.

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