• Women’s empowerment is complex, with agency, resources, and achievement as key pillars.

• WE-CHANT study conducted in rural West Bengal focused on women’s empowerment, child health, and nutrition.

• Data was collected through two-stage sampling, employing exploratory factor analysis to construct the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI).

• A 12-item Women's Empowerment Index (WEI) was constructed, focusing on 3 major domains.

1. Decision-making power,

2. Attitude toward gender-based violence (GBY)

3. Social independence.

• Decision-making power emerged as the most influential predictor in rural West Bengal, consistent with previous research.

• The study excluded variables related to resources and achievements, focusing on empowerment.

• Social desirability and misclassification biases were addressed through female data collectors and confidentiality assurance.

• The social independence domain focused on freedom of social interactions, excluding measures like access to media and mobile phones for simplicity.

• The findings emphasized the importance of decision-making in women's empowerment in rural West Bengal.

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