In the last few decades’ empowerment programs have been touted as a viable solution towards ending gender inequality in the developing world. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, 251 women are interviewed using a life history calendar method to study the impact of participation in such empowerment programs on important life events: education; choice in selection of marriage partner; quality of marital relationships; fertility choices; employment; and political leadership. Findings point to a complex pattern of lifelong negotiations and bargains that participants undertake with their immediate family and community at large, displaying a mix of accommodations with patriarchy in some contexts and strengthening of agency in others.
Building Empowerment, Resisting Patriarchy: Understanding Intervention Against Domestic Violence Among Grassroots Women in Gujarat, India. (coauthored with Merry Morash). Click here to access paper.
Monitoring Team Interviews. Lessons from Large Qualitative Data Collection. (coauthored with Merry Morash). Click here to access paper.
Analyzing the Importance of Funding for Gender Focused Empowerment Programs. (coauthored with Merry Morash). Click here to access paper.
Changing the Patriarchal Narrative: Going Behind the Roots of Gender Based Violence Click here to access paper.
Papers in Progress
Intersectionality, Leaders and Women’s Organizations in India
The Interaction Between Masculinity and Women’s Agency in Patriarchal Settings (coauthored with Merry Morash, Alison Colby and Praveena Lakshmanan)
Long Term Impact of Lack of Access to Childhood Education on Women’s Lives (coauthored with Jainisha Chavda)
Soma Chaudhuri 