Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to present a typology of household budgeting in context of transnational finance, ethnicity and social class. Based on 90 in-depth interviews with South Asian women, it will explore the role of women's employment and independent income in establishing these budgeting typologies.

Paper long abstract:

The relationship between women's employment and financial power is complex and mediated through a range of household and institutional factors. The scholarship indicates both positive and negative correlation while some remain agnostic. Using an intersectionality approach and based on 90 in-depth interviews with South Asian women in Britain, India and Pakistan, this paper adds to this debate by examining various models of household budgeting in the context of women's independent income through a range of occupational categories: professional, semi-skilled; manual and homemakers. Building on Pahl's household financial organisation models, the paper seeks to present a typology of budgeting in the context of transnational finances, ethnicity and social class. Using detailed, contextualized data, the paper will explore the role of women's employment and independent income in establishing these budgeting typologies.