Determinants of women's empowerment: Analysis of demographic and health surveys (DHS) in the cases of Yemen, Egypt and Jordan

This paper explores the determinants of women’s economic empowerment from a capacity perspective for three Arab countries that are Yemen, Egypt and Jordan. The MIMIC model was estimated using data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). To explain the empowerment of women in Arab countries, this study attempted to address key issues concerning women's decisions about health care, major household purchases, the use of women's and partners’ income. Findings indicate that women's empowerment was related to age, place of residence, educational attainment, women's income relative to husband's income, access to newspapers, frequent watching television and listen to radio.