MJAAR

Gendered Financial Governance: Salary Handover as Compensatory Strategy in Household Economics and the Politics of Planning

Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Ahumuza Audrey


Abstract

This study examined gendered financial governance with a specific focus on salary handover practices as compensatory strategies within household economics and their implications for financial planning. Situated within the broader discourse of intra-household resource allocation and gender power dynamics, the study employed a mixedmethods research design with a cross-sectional survey administered to 300 purposively selected respondents from urban and peri-urban households in Uganda, complemented by 20 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions. Quantitatively, univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to characterise the sociodemographic profile of respondents and examine gender-disaggregated salary handover behaviour. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was constructed to assess the latent and manifest relationships between gender norms, power dynamics, salary handover obligation, financial planning quality, and household conflict. Qualitatively, thematic content analysis was employed to explore lived experiences and subjective meanings attached to salary handover. Findings revealed statistically significant gender disparities in salary handover behaviour (χ² = 34.72, p < 0.001; Cramér's V = 0.34), with 42.0% of women reporting full salary surrender compared to 15.9% of men. SEM results confirmed that gender norms exerted the strongest direct effect on salary handover obligation (β = 0.512, p < 0.001), which in turn significantly predicted both financial planning quality (β = 0.438) and financial autonomy loss (β = 0.461). Qualitative themes corroborated these findings, revealing obligation, power asymmetry, compensatory strategies such as rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) and hidden income, and intra-household financial conflict as dominant experiential patterns. The study concluded that salary handover in gendered household economies is not merely a financial act but a politically charged practice shaped by patriarchal norms that suppress women's financial agency while undermining household planning quality. Targeted interventions in financial literacy, gender-transformative programming, and policy reform in household financial governance are recommended.

Keywords

gendered financial governance salary handover household economics compensatory strategy financial autonomy intra-household power dynamics structural equation modelling Uganda
Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

Cite This Article

Dr. Arinaitwe Julius & Ahumuza Audrey (2026). Gendered Financial Governance: Salary Handover as Compensatory Strategy in Household Economics and the Politics of Planning. Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research, 5(4). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=376

More in This Issue

View full issue →
16
The Double Burden: Human and Material Resource Scarcity in Uganda's Nursing and Midwifery Workforce
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara2
Nursing workforce midwifery resource scarcity health workforce attrition
17
The Mental Genesis of Resilience: A Conceptual Analysis of Gen Z’s Cognitive Preparedness for Adversity in a Digital Age
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Musimenta Nancy2
Gen Z cognitive resilience adversity preparedness digital age
18
The Naked Transaction: Age-Discrepant Marriage as Compensatory Exchange and Strategic Inheritance Planning. A Narrative Analysis
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Musimenta Nancy2
age-discrepant marriage bride price compensatory exchange inheritance planning
19
The Procreative Imperative and Its Discontents: Deconstructing Marriage as Overrated Coping Mechanism
Musimenta Nancy1 , Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara2
procreative imperative marriage social coercion coping mechanism
20
Uganda's Fertility Paradox: Capitalizing on Demographic Potential Amidst Systemic Health and Socioeconomic Challenges
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius2 , Musimenta Nancy2
Fertility rate Uganda demographic dividend contraceptive use