The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh
Abstract Background Agency – including the sub-domains of intrinsic agency, instrumental agency, and collective agency – is a critical component of the women’s empowerment process. Self-efficacy (a component of intrinsic agency) may operate as a motivational influence for women to make choices accor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17663-2 |
| _version_ | 1797272965840109568 |
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| author | Allison P. Salinger Ellen Vermes Jillian L. Waid Amanda S. Wendt Sarah J. N. Dupuis Md Abul Kalam Abdul Kader Sheela S. Sinharoy |
| author_facet | Allison P. Salinger Ellen Vermes Jillian L. Waid Amanda S. Wendt Sarah J. N. Dupuis Md Abul Kalam Abdul Kader Sheela S. Sinharoy |
| author_sort | Allison P. Salinger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Agency – including the sub-domains of intrinsic agency, instrumental agency, and collective agency – is a critical component of the women’s empowerment process. Self-efficacy (a component of intrinsic agency) may operate as a motivational influence for women to make choices according to their own preferences or goals, such that higher self-efficacy would be associated with more autonomous decision-making (a key component of instrumental agency). Methods We examine these relationships using mixed methods. We developed a series of decision-making autonomy indices, which captured alignment between the woman’s reported and preferred roles in health and nutrition decisions. Using ordinal logistic regression, we assessed the relationship between generalized self-efficacy and decision-making autonomy. Results There was a consistently positive association across all categories of decision-making, controlling for a number of individual and household-level covariates. In a sub-sample of joint decision-makers (i.e., women who reported making decisions with at least one other household member), we compared the association between generalized self-efficacy (i.e., one’s overall belief in their ability to succeed) and decision-making autonomy to that of domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., one’s belief in their ability to achieve a specific goal) and decision-making autonomy. Across all decision-making categories, domain-specific self-efficacy was more strongly associated with decision-making autonomy than generalized self-efficacy. In-depth interviews provided additional context for interpretation of the regression analyses. Conclusions The results indicate the importance of the role of self-efficacy in the women’s empowerment process, even in the traditionally female-controlled areas of health and nutrition decision-making. The development of the decision-making autonomy index is an important contribution to the literature in that it directly recognizes and captures the role of women’s preferences regarding participation in decision-making. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:36:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72394eee52a4458893b2f6a173703856 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:36:54Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-72394eee52a4458893b2f6a1737038562024-03-05T20:35:13ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582024-02-0124111510.1186/s12889-024-17663-2The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural BangladeshAllison P. Salinger0Ellen Vermes1Jillian L. Waid2Amanda S. Wendt3Sarah J. N. Dupuis4Md Abul Kalam5Abdul Kader6Sheela S. Sinharoy7Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory UniversityResearch Department 2, Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz AssociationResearch Department 2, Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz AssociationHubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory UniversityBangladesh Country Office, Helen Keller InternationalBangladesh Country Office, Helen Keller InternationalHubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory UniversityAbstract Background Agency – including the sub-domains of intrinsic agency, instrumental agency, and collective agency – is a critical component of the women’s empowerment process. Self-efficacy (a component of intrinsic agency) may operate as a motivational influence for women to make choices according to their own preferences or goals, such that higher self-efficacy would be associated with more autonomous decision-making (a key component of instrumental agency). Methods We examine these relationships using mixed methods. We developed a series of decision-making autonomy indices, which captured alignment between the woman’s reported and preferred roles in health and nutrition decisions. Using ordinal logistic regression, we assessed the relationship between generalized self-efficacy and decision-making autonomy. Results There was a consistently positive association across all categories of decision-making, controlling for a number of individual and household-level covariates. In a sub-sample of joint decision-makers (i.e., women who reported making decisions with at least one other household member), we compared the association between generalized self-efficacy (i.e., one’s overall belief in their ability to succeed) and decision-making autonomy to that of domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., one’s belief in their ability to achieve a specific goal) and decision-making autonomy. Across all decision-making categories, domain-specific self-efficacy was more strongly associated with decision-making autonomy than generalized self-efficacy. In-depth interviews provided additional context for interpretation of the regression analyses. Conclusions The results indicate the importance of the role of self-efficacy in the women’s empowerment process, even in the traditionally female-controlled areas of health and nutrition decision-making. The development of the decision-making autonomy index is an important contribution to the literature in that it directly recognizes and captures the role of women’s preferences regarding participation in decision-making.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17663-2Women’s empowermentAgencyPreferenceMeasurementAgriculture |
| spellingShingle | Allison P. Salinger Ellen Vermes Jillian L. Waid Amanda S. Wendt Sarah J. N. Dupuis Md Abul Kalam Abdul Kader Sheela S. Sinharoy The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh BMC Public Health Women’s empowerment Agency Preference Measurement Agriculture |
| title | The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh |
| title_full | The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh |
| title_fullStr | The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh |
| title_short | The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh |
| title_sort | role of self efficacy in women s autonomy for health and nutrition decision making in rural bangladesh |
| topic | Women’s empowerment Agency Preference Measurement Agriculture |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17663-2 |
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