The degree of economic hardship may also vary widely within a household. We have already discussed the fact that GNI per capita is an inadequate measure of development because it fails to reflect the extent of absolute poverty. Likewise, household income is a poor measure of individual welfare because the distribution of income within the household may be quite unequal. In fact, among the poor, the economic status of women provides a better indication of their own welfare, as well as that of their children. Existing studies of intrahousehold resource allocation clearly indicate that in many regions of the world, there exists a strong bias against females in areas such as
nutrition, medical care, education, and inheritance.