ABSTRACT
In southeast Asia, women invariably hold the family purse and regulate spending. A public opinion survey conducted in different Asian capitals, asking whether it was considered that men or women should control the budget, found the greatest support for female control came from the Philippines. In Bangladesh, men control the family purse, and women have little say in expenditure. In Burma, a woman's control of family finances is gradually being modified in urban areas, as men need ready cash for daily expenses; in the rural areas she retains control. Family conflict arising from a man's propensity to attend cockfights or other activities from which women are excluded can be resolved by female control of the purse. Decisions on the purchase of costly items or expenditure on the celebration of family ceremonies are likely to be made jointly, irrespective of who is in control of daily spending.
