Which statement best captures Edgell's 1980 finding on women's decision-making within households?

• A. Women had sole responsibility only in relatively unimportant areas
• B. Men had final say on moving house
• C. Decisions were always joint
• D. Women had final say on all major decisions

Answer: (A)

Edgell shows a clear hierarchy in who controls family decisions based on how important the issue is. In his study, men tend to have the final say on major, financially significant decisions (like moving house or big purchases), while women control decisions on less important, everyday matters. Joint decision-making happens but isn’t the norm across all areas. So the statement that best captures this pattern is that women had sole responsibility only in relatively unimportant areas—reflecting how influence shifts with the perceived importance of the decision. The other options don’t fit the overall pattern: major decisions aren’t always left to women, and not all decisions are made jointly.