This paper describes a PRA exercise on women's control over household income, expenses and assets. It aims to assist women members of self-help groups, and to understand how best to help them improve their situation. The study is centred on three women from three different families: a resource surplus family, the poorest family of the group, and a family headed by a women from the members of Annapurna Mahila Mandal (AMM) of Sarbindha village in Godda district of Jharkhand. The study compares household income, assets, and expenses.
It provides some advice on data collection, such as it being better to start by asking about expenses rather than income, and the negative influence that intruding men can have on the participatory sessions. The paper outlines the conversations that ensued between the researchers and the women concerning their families' assets and each member's particular responsibilities and income. It concludes by saying that the members were surprised and happy to see that they could keep track of their household income and expenses. They had earlier thought that this lay within the men's domain.