We exploit novel data collected within a randomised controlled trial of a sanitation microcredit intervention to study how intra-household gender differences in perceptions of costs and benefits of sanitation impact investment decisions. We show that – as long as the wife is involved in household decision-making – the intra-household differences in perceptions we document influence borrowing and investments: uptake of the sanitation loan is higher among households where the wife has higher benefit perception, whereas successful conversion to a toilet depends on differences in monetary cost perceptions. The estimated effects are consistent with the predictions of a model of intra-household decision-making.
Authors

Research Fellow City, University of London
Bansi is a Research Fellow of the IFS, a Senior Lecturer of Economics at the City, University of London and also a Fellow at the Global Labor Organisa

Associate Director
Britta is an IFS Associate Director, Associate Staff at the Department of Economics at the UC and Researcher at NIHR Obesity Policy Research Unit.

Harriet Olorenshaw

Zaki Wahhaj
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2021.4521
- Publisher
- Institute for Fiscal Studies
Suggested citation
Augsburg, B et al. (2021). To invest or not to invest in sanitation: the role of intra-household gender differences in perceptions and bargaining power. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/invest-or-not-invest-sanitation-role-intra-household-gender-differences-perceptions (accessed: 10 February 2025).
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