Financial independence of women – the impact of social factors on women empowerment in small island developing states (SIDS)

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to understand and analyse the financial independence of women in small island developing states, with a focus on Mauritius. Factors such as employer choice, domestic violence, sociological factors, lack of opportunities and empowerment and the legal framework have been identified as potential influencers of the financial independence of women. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted where residents of Mauritius were targeted to have a more generic overview of the subject matter. A response rate of 347 was received. The partial least square structural equation modeling was used to analyse the proposed framework. Findings A total of 12 hypotheses were proposed and only 2 hypotheses were confirmed. The sociological factors, lack of opportunities, domestic violence and employer choice appeared not to have a significant influence on the financial independence of women. The legal system had a significant influence on the financial independence of women. Originality/value It must be acknowledged that the literature is rich with studies on financial independence. Nevertheless, not much has been prescribed in the literature from the perspective of small developing economies and having women at the centre of the debate. The theory of gender and power and the social learning theory were used as the theoretical foundation.

Drivers of intention to engage in informal economy activities during maternity leave

“…Women's desire for financial independence is typically motivated by the desire to improve their social status (Rughoobur-Seetah et al, 2022). It tends to arise during women's perceived vulnerability periods (Li et al, 2023) or perceived insecurity (Werner-Bierwisch et al, 2018;Stumbitz et al, 2018).…”

Conceptualizing the Influence of Religiosity and Islamic Financial Knowledge on Islamic Financial Behaviours

“…One forms new behaviours by observing others, and this coded information later on acts as a guide for action (Bandura, 1977). SLT has been adopted by social scientists in the consumer-related field in order to articulate compulsive behaviour (Abd Rashid et al, 2020;Aw et al, 2018), financial behaviour (Agnew, 2018;Rughoobur-Seetah et al, 2022;Safira & Rahadi, 2020), as well as Islamic financial behaviour (Ali et al, 2020). At the same time, religiosity and Islamic financial knowledge are expected to have direct effects on Muslim's financial behaviour (Lajuni etal., 2018).…”