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Refining the Measurement of Women's Autonomy: An International Application of a Multi-Dimensional Construct

Publication ,  Journal Article
Agarwala, R; Lynch, SM
Published in: Social Forces
2006

Women's autonomy has long been a central concern for researchers examining the social position of women in developing countries. However, little emphasis has been placed on the measurement of autonomy, despite its importance for assessing the validity of comparative research. In this research, we use confirmatory factor analyses to determine (1) whether items thought to measure autonomy in fact form a reliable measure of autonomy, (2) whether the relationship between multiple dimensions of autonomy are strong enough to justify a discussion of autonomy as a single underlying construct, and (3) whether comparative research on autonomy is possible between two countries (India and Pakistan). We find that our indicators capture four distinct dimensions of autonomy that are moderately related, and that, while the model structures replicate fairly well across the two countries we study, there are measurement differences that make comparative research challenging.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Social Forces

DOI

ISSN

0037-7732

Publication Date

2006

Volume

84

Issue

4

Start / End Page

2077 / 2098

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Agarwala, R., & Lynch, S. M. (2006). Refining the Measurement of Women's Autonomy: An International Application of a Multi-Dimensional Construct. Social Forces, 84(4), 2077–2098. https://doi.org/10.2307/3844490
Agarwala, R., and S. M. Lynch. “Refining the Measurement of Women's Autonomy: An International Application of a Multi-Dimensional Construct.” Social Forces 84, no. 4 (2006): 2077–98. https://doi.org/10.2307/3844490.
Agarwala, R., and S. M. Lynch. “Refining the Measurement of Women's Autonomy: An International Application of a Multi-Dimensional Construct.” Social Forces, vol. 84, no. 4, 2006, pp. 2077–98. Manual, doi:10.2307/3844490.
Journal cover image

Published In

Social Forces

DOI

ISSN

0037-7732

Publication Date

2006

Volume

84

Issue

4

Start / End Page

2077 / 2098

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology