Conceptual Note 5: Intra Household Poverty

Intra-household poverty has generally been conceptualised as a matter of gender inequality, with differential access to resources within the family/household leading to underestimation of the extent of poverty generally, and hidden or invisible levels of poverty within the family/household. Household-level surveys struggle to capture the unequal (and in many cases unfair) distribution of income within the household or family; the money management within the households; and the known willingness of mothers to forego their own material needs in favour of others, especially of their children. This conceptual note considers how the PSE: UK research can investigate this issue through questions directed at exploring systems of money management and partner responsibilities, time expenditure and economising behaviour.