A study published in the Economic & Political Weekly  by economists Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor reveals a dramatic shift in intra-household resource allocation in India between 2011–12 and 2023–24.

About the Study 

• Title: Intra-household Resource Allocation and Changes in Child and Gender Poverty between 2011–12 and 2023–24.
• Data Sources: HCES 2011–12 & 2023–24, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

• Methodology: Based on Dunbar et al. (2013) and Calvi (2020), used Engel curves and non-linear regression to estimate resources for children (0–14 years), adult females, and adult males (15–79 years).
  • It used expenditure data on privately assignable items to estimate resource shares for children (0–14 years), adult females, and adult males (15–79 years).
• Focus: Analyses how changes in resource allocation toward women and children impact poverty patterns.

Determinants of Female Resource Share

• Positive Factors: More adult females, higher fraction of female children, inheritance eligibility for leading women, SC/ST/OBC households, presence of a college-educated member.
• Negative Factors: More adult males, presence of widows in households with children.
• Religious Patterns: 
  • 2011–12: lower share for Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh females; 
  • 2023–24: reverse trend.
• Geographic Variation: Lower shares for females in northern, eastern, and southern states; higher in north-east.
• Age Trends:
  • 2011–12: Female share below the equality line in most age groups; small exceptions for urban households without children (20–30 years) and with children (45–55 years).
  • 2023–24: Female share above the equality line for broader age ranges—rural households (15–55 years), urban (15–65 years).

Poverty Trends

• All-India Poverty Rate (Equal Sharing Assumption): Fell from 29.5% (2011–12) to 4% (2023–24).
• All-India (Unequal Sharing Reality) : 34.7% (2011–12) to  10.5% (2023–24).

Poverty Gap

• 2011–12: All-India 18.4% (equal sharing), higher under unequal sharing—children 35.6%, females 21.5%, males 13.5%.
• 2023–24: All-India 10.2% (equal sharing); children 17.9%, females 6.4%, males 15.1%.

Policy Links and Government Role

• Government Programmes: Programmes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, MUDRA Scheme, Lakhpati Didi Yojana credited for women’s financial independence and co-ownership of property.
  • Around 70% of MUDRA Yojana’s 52 crore loan accounts benefited women.
• Impact: By 2023–24, average adult female resource share exceeded adult male share across all states and UTs – a reversal from 2011–12.
  • Adult female poverty is now lower than adult male poverty nationwide.
  • Large-scale empowerment of women, resulting in significant poverty reduction for women and children.

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