This study finds that in Chepareria, both men and women are increasingly seeing the contemporary family unit as a team that needs to work together on meeting the household's needs, and women have thereby in large received increased decision-making power.
Initial evidence suggests that membership in CBSGs has improved the financial literacy, management capacity and economic power of women, which in turn has led to greater respect in the community, increased decision-making power, and the confidence to interact with influential figures, and participate in village assemblies/community institutions [ 12].
Nevertheless, while women have gained increased decision-making as well as economic power in many areas of life, the livestock with the highest economic value, cattle, is still a male space.
Longer-term objectives of community organizing are to develop the internal capabilities and to increase the decision-making power and influence of underrepresented groups.
Researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute have found that while increasing women's decision-making power would reduce discrimination against girls in some parts of South Asia, it would make things worse in the north and west of India.
The reason: Women's increasing buying and decision-making power.
As expected, this same study found that maternal education increases women's decision-making power regarding reproductive health, particularly condom use – where women with primary and secondary education had higher odds of decision-making power than those who had no formal education [ 12].
The disaster has however, increased the PHN's decision-making power in the local government system, thus new programs such as a mental health support program for mothers at the 18-month child health checkups, regular lectures on radiation-related topics for residents, and epidemiological assessments of child growth have been implemented since the Fukushima nuclear incident [ 10].
Familiarity with modern medical culture, egalitarian relationship and better communication with husbands, more decision-making power, increased self-worth and self-confidence were also the characteristics of urban women which might have contributions to better utilization of health facility delivery than rural women.
Existing frameworks linking IPV and HIV posit multiple individual-level risk factors, including increased risk of violent intercourse, lower decision-making power and partners' high-risk sexual behaviors leading them to be more likely to be HIV-positive [1].
It would be important to further investigate whether an opportunity to self-refer leads to increased autonomy, sense of control and decision-making power, all of which might subsequently impact the perception of illness identity.
