Gender and assets in rural Myanmar: A cautionary tale for the analyst

Abstract

This paper uses evidence from Southeast Asia to challenge current interpretations of quantitative data on individual, formal asset ownership in relation to women’s decision-making power and empowerment. By overlaying quantitative data with a qualitative understanding of gender norms in rural households in Myanmar, we challenge common interpretations that have been assumed to universally reflect women’s empowerment. The paper warns that measures of individual asset ownership and decision-making may be poor indicators of women’s empowerment in Southeast Asia, and that a proper understanding of context is required for appropriate and meaningful interpretation of what have now become standard indicators.