Gender Disparities in Decision Making in Agriculture: A Case of Study of Small Producers in Peru

This study uses data from agricultural producers collected by the Group of Analysis for Development (GRADE) in one hundred thirty-two households from four departments, eleven provinces, and twenty-one districts of Peru. The survey used to collect this data includes questions from the Women in Agriculture Empowerment Index (WEAI) questionnaire designed by Alkire et al. (2013). By using Cronbach’s Alpha and Multilevel Poisson regressions, this research explores the relationship between socioeconomic households’ characteristics and participation in agriculture decision-making by gender. The study found that women’s contribution to farming decisions increases with older female heads of household, more minor females in the household, and female ownership of productive capital assets, especially owning titles to the agricultural property. This research attempts to cast light on the factors that need to be considered when designing policies to reduce poverty, ensure food security, and narrow the gender productive gap, which is prevalent in rural areas throughout Latin America.