The process of decision making in a family has an important bearing on the intra-household dynamics and welfare of the household. Most models of household decision making assume that the family as a whole is the decision making unit and there exists a single household utility function. Each member of the household jointly maximises the level of utility for a given income. These so-called ‘unitary models’ are based on the assumption that the tastes and preferences of all household members are the same. What would be the household welfare function if household members have different preferences? This brings to the fore the questions about the distribution of resources within the household.