Impact of education on women’s decision-making power: A study in Samastipur District of Bihar

Abstract

The current study investigates the effect of education on women's decision-making capacity in social, economic, political, and personal domains. The study was conducted in Morsand village of Pusa block, Bihar, a state that continues to have one of India's lowest female literacy rates; the study focused on women aged 18 to 30. Purposive sampling method was used to collect data through structured interviews to capture respondents' socioeconomic background, educational achievement, and decision-making aptitude. Education has a favorable correlation with women's decision-making power across all sectors, particularly in career (r = 0.482, p ? 0.05) and social decision-making (r = 0.621, p < 0.01). However, the study emphasizes that education alone is insufficient to secure complete autonomy, as cultural norms, family structures, and occupational constraints continue to limit women's options. These findings highlight the importance of integrated initiatives that not only increase educational possibilities but also challenge limiting gender norms, allowing women to transform educational gains into actual empowerment and agency.