Widowhood and Welfare:  Single-Women Allowance Uptake by Marital Status in Nepal

Gyan Mani Adhikari; Reena Adhikari

doi:10.32674/vgbscg69

Authors

Gyan Mani Adhikari Central Department of Management, Tribhuvan University, Nepal Author
Reena Adhikari Nepal Commerce Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/vgbscg69

Keywords:

Programme uptake, single-women allowance, social protection, Welfare exclusion, Widowhood, Nepal

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates the uptake of the Single-Women Allowance and identifies the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of programme exclusion and non-take-up, with particular emphasis on widows as the primary target group.

Design/methodology/approach: Using nationally representative data from the fourth Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS IV) on adult women, this study employed weighted descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to examine the uptake and determinants of the Single-Women Allowance, including a widow-specific model to identify factors associated with programme exclusion.

Findings: Widowhood drives uptake. About 56% of eligible women receive the allowance, leaving 44% excluded; widow uptake is close to 60%. Exclusion is concentrated among Madhesi, Dalit, and Muslim widows, the less educated, and the recently widowed, and falls as years since widowhood rise. Poverty does not predict receipt.

Conclusion: The findings highlight that despite effective targeting, persistent access inequalities continue to limit equitable coverage of the Single-Women Allowance.

Implications: Closing the gap requires event-triggered registration of the newly widowed, outreach to marginalised communities, and review of the age rules; a complementary poverty dimension could raise anti-poverty impact.

Originality/value: This study provides the first nationally representative evidence from NLSS IV on Single-Women Allowance uptake by marital status and identifies the socioeconomic inequalities underlying programme exclusion among eligible women in Nepal.

JEL Classification: D63, H53, H55, I38, J12, J16

Author Biographies

Gyan Mani Adhikari, Central Department of Management, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Gyan Mani Adhikari is an Associate Professor at the Central Department of Management, Tribhuvan University, where he also chairs the Business Subject Committee under the Faculty of Management. Born in Bhojpur in 1967, he completed his M.Phil. in Economics from Tribhuvan University and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at the same institution. His research interests span rural economics, microfinance, women’s empowerment, good governance, and financial literacy, with published articles appearing in national and international journals
Reena Adhikari, Nepal Commerce Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Reena Adhikari is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Nepal Commerce Campus, Tribhuvan University. Her research interests focus on micro-perspective economic and social issues and on behavioural economics.

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Widowhood and Welfare

Single-Women Allowance Uptake by Marital Status in Nepal

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