The gendered nature of household decision making and expenditure choices in the context of smallholder agricultural commercialization in Malawi

Abstract

Abstract Background The push towards commercialization is driven by the modernization paradigm which argues that traditional subsistence farming is backward and primitive. Despite commercialization having the potential to enhance people’s livelihoods, it can also bring unfathomable social differentiation and widen inequalities in communities. This paper investigates the gendered decision-making and expenditure choices of smallholder households in the context of agricultural commercialization in Central Malawi. Methods The analysis is performed by employing sequential mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative data collection, consisting of 28 focus group discussions, 100 life histories, and 519 surveys. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and various regression estimations. Results The results show that many men heads make decisions on cultivated plots and control realized income. The results further show that there are no differences between households headed by women and those headed by men in pursuit of markets. Women’s participation in markets is limited by lack of means of production. Men are getting more involved in crops that were dominated by women such as groundnuts. Women plot managers engaged more with markets, but their control of realized income was less associated with reinvesting in crop commercialization which is also reflected in their expenditure choices. When they control income, women spend relatively less than men on both productive and households assets. In households headed by men, the men dominate selling of produce, decisions on the control over resources, income, and expenditure choices, which results in deepening gender inequalities. Conclusions Differences exist in expenditure choices between women and men which points to differing priorities and disparities in access to productive resources. Men dominate decision-making which is preferred by some women to maintain intrahousehold harmony. There is need to create targeted programs for diverse groups of women through participatory approaches to address strategic needs. Women unable to farm due to lack of means of production need social protection programs. Women without decision-making power require empowerment initiatives and gender dialogue sessions to foster joint household activities. Commercial based interventions should go beyond mere targeting of women and men but embed equality interventions to avoid deepening social inequalities.