The concept of empowerment is now widelyused in several disciplines to characterize the states andsocial processes of individuals and communities. In economicdevelopment, the concept has come to mean women's powerand agency in all economic domains and market-relatedinteractions—earning, spending, and saving income; buying,owning, and selling assets; holding and inheriting wealth;starting and operating a business; acquiring a bank accountor credit; and participating in or leading a union or otherform of economic collective action. Measurement has laggedconceptualization. Most analytical research by economists,primarily involving impact evaluation, has measuredempowerment as women's influence over householdexpenditures. This is a very narrow sliver of empowerment;not surprisingly, it is not well correlated with othereconomic or social outcomes. This paper suggests measuringempowerment in eight facets (a 4 x 2 matrix): (a) attitudesand (b) behaviors, in the domains of (i) transactions andmarkets; (ii) social interactions, including mobility andreproductive freedom; (iii) political and civicparticipation, including exercising legal rights; and (iv)psychology, including self-confidence and ability to seekmental health.
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