Cash Transfers and Role Models: Impacts on Women’s Empowerment in Rural Kenya

Mahreen Mahmud, Emma Riley and Kate Orkin

No 20107, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: Cash and asset transfer programs are widely used to improve household economic outcomes, but their impact on women’s empowerment is mixed. In a four-arm field experiment with 3,000 rural Kenyan women, we examine the effects of augmenting unconditional lump-sum cash transfers with a workshop designed to raise women’s aspirations through role model exposure and facilitated planning. We find that combining the cash transfer and workshop increases women’s share of household resources and reduces intimate partner violence compared to the cash transfer alone. Our study highlights potential gains for women from combining poverty reduction strategies with psychological empowerment interventions.

Date: 2025-04
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