Women’s empowerment in collective dairy value chains

Ownership of assets, while necessary, is not therefore a sufficient condition for women’s empowerment. Rather, it is women’s ability to make decisions on these assets and other productive resources, and to manage and make decisions on income earned through these assets that is crucial to their empowerment. When women manage income and control assets, their bargaining power may be increased, domestic violence reduced and their children’s nutritional status improved. However, women’s greater earning power may also have negative consequences, especially if men’s spending on the household reduces as women contribute and manage more.