in order to tailor and apply this agenda to national and local contexts policymakers need to understand how gendered power relations enable or constrain womens rights in families and recognize the diverse and changing nature of family forms this has triggered some shifts in the balance of power within the home giving women greater economic security and weight in decisionmaking processes and helping them buffer their families from economic privation when professional care is unavailable or unaffordable women and girls are expected to fill the gap which either reduces their time for schooling paid work and rest or results in care needs being neglected