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Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

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

Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Ahumuza Audrey2

Journal: Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research (MJAAR)

Volume/Issue: Volume 5 - Issue 4

Published: 02 May 2026


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

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