Every social act is an exercise of power, every social relationship is a
power eqlJaticn ano every social system is an organization (Ii power.
There is an increasing agreement that power is a mullidimension~1
construct the late 1950s and early 1960s power became and continues to be
a common and important referent in the pursuit of knowledge about
structured interaction in families. Power is one construct of particular interest
to family sociologist concerned with marital and family interaction.
The objectives of this research is two folds, it aims first to identify rural
woman's (ole in familial decision making, and the second, it aims at
discoverinq the variables that determine their contribution in familial decision
making. A review of relevant literature has been undertaken as a mean of
developing a theoretical framework for this research. Data were collected
from a snowball sample of 268 rural wives existed in Eshaka and Missie
villages, Kafr EI-Sheikh. Three measures, dimensions, of wife's contribution in familial decislo making were developed, i.e, rural waifs contribution in familial decisio
making, in farm decision making and in household decision making. In
addition seventeen independent variables. Appropriate statistical techniques such as percentages, frequencies, means, standard deviations, simple correlation and multiple IregreSSion techniques, as well as, step wise multiple regression (forward solution) were employed II' examine the hyposlzec relatlonahtps between the inbependent
variables and each dimension of the total scores of rural wives rol~ in familial
deciSions making. Results showed that about 66% of the sample's memb r have an
average level of contribution in familial decisions making and about 17% of
the sample members have low level in it. Wife's educational s~tus, wife's
jeb, familial differantiation, wife's age when marrjago, attitude to ard social
participation, cosmopolitans, wife's political participation a d familial
satisfaction were significantly and correlated with rural wives (0 in familial
decisions making, while, family number size and number 0 husband
marriage were negatively and signifiCantly correlated with rural wives role in
familial decisions making. 'Mlen multiple regression analysis were applied, there were six variables, wife's job, family number size, familial differentiatlol , attitude
toward social participation, cosmopolitans and familial satisfaction were
found significanllyand the main variables affect on rural wives rol I in familial
decisions making. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that the coe1fficients of determination were 26.6%, 35.5%, 13.2% and 27.2% to the dirrension of wives contribution in housing decisions making, farm decisions ~akin9, in
familial decision making and in Ihe Iota I score of three dimensions as a
composite variable. The stepwise multiple regression analysis yielded reduced equations containing the determinants of rural women's role in familial decisions
making and each dimension, in summery, familial differentiatio , familial
satisfaction, wife's job, attitudes toward social participation, family number
size, cccrnopclitans and wife's political participation w'ere found tn be the
determinants of the rural woman's role in familial decisions making.1
Finally, the research findings have definite implications of both levels,
theoretically and practically.