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Financial Socialisation, Decision-Making Power and Risk-Taking Behaviour of Rural Households: Moderating Mediation Analysis

G. Suresh,Jothi Munuswamy,Prakash Malliasamy

Published 2026 in SAGE Open

ABSTRACT

Financial socialisation (FS) plays a vital role in determining the financial decision-making power and risk-taking behaviour of rural households. The present study investigates the interplay between financial socialisation, gender, and marital status in shaping decision-making power and investment risk-taking behaviour. A quantitative approach was employed, with 312 survey responses collected via a cross-sectional survey method from rural investors in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, India. Financial socialisation was assessed using adapted and validated items from prior studies, while trading frequency was a proxy for risk-taking behaviour. The moderated mediation framework (PROCESS Macro Model 8) was employed to investigate the interplay between the variables. Results show that FS significantly increases women’s risk-taking behaviour, but this effect is partly reduced due to their lower decision-making power in rural patriarchal households. For men, the direct effect of financial socialisation on risk-taking behaviour is positive but weaker, with no mediation through decision-making power. Married individuals exhibit more conservative risk-taking behaviour than unmarried individuals due to familial responsibilities. The study also found that education and income do not significantly impact decision-making power, possibly reflecting deeper socio-cultural influences in rural settings. These findings imply that policymakers should design targeted financial literacy programmes to address gender disparities and cultural barriers to financial participation. By promoting inclusive financial socialisation, households can achieve more equitable decision-making processes and risk management, which will improve the financial well-being of rural communities. This study contributes to understanding financial socialisation within patriarchal contexts and offers insights into targeted financial empowerment initiatives.

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