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Does Unconditional Cash Transfer Program Enhance Women Empowerment? An Analysis of National Cash Transfer Program in PakistanAsma Kashif, PhD Candidate, Macquarie University
• Background: Benazir Income SupportProgram is the national unconditional cashtransfer program in Pakistan that is providingcash transfers to almost 5.6 millionhouseholds through their women acrosscountry.
• Research Question: The study attempts toinvestigate impact of unconditional cashtransfer on women empowerment.
• Theoretical Design;
• Methodology: The study uses BISP Impact EvaluationData conducted in 2016,comprised of aprox. 9000control and treatment household and usessimultaneous equation modeling to find the dimensionsof women empowerment. The aspects of womenempowerment include access to or control overresources, household decision-making, freedom ofmovement, sense of gender norms and develops awomen empowerment index(Acharya & Bennett,1983)(Kabeer, 1999)(Agarwal, 1994)(Yoong, 2012).
• Results: The results indicate that the recipient women inbeneficiary households make more sole and jointdecisions (three out of twelve indicators registerpositive, which is a robust significant impact) and aremore economically active.
Acharya, M., & Bennett, L. (1983b). Women and the subsistence sector. Economic participation andhousehold decision making in Nepal.Agarwal, B. (1994). A field of one's own: Gender and land rights in South Asia (Vol. 58): CambridgeUniversity Press.Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women'sEmpowerment. Development and Change, 30(3), 435-464. doi:10.1111/1467-7660.00125Yoong, J. (2012). The impact of economic resource transfers to women versus men: a systematic review.London: University of London (London, EPPI-Centre).
Wo
men
Em
po
wer
men
t
Access to Resources
Control over cash transfers
Education
Age
Mobility
Visiting Market Place
Visiting friends and family
Visiting religious places
Visiting health facility
Decision making12 decisions in
household
Gender NormsAttitude towards
prevailing gender norms
Conclusion: However, women’s mobility isnot significantly impacted by the program.Our estimates reveal that the BISP brings onlymodest changes in female’s access andcontrol over resources, participation indecision-making and mobility amongbeneficiaries. However, this unconditionalcash transfers enhance overall wellbeing ofwomen, who become more empowered andretain control over the BISP funds to use forhousehold consumption.From our results, it can be ascertained thatprograms like BISP provide positive impactson female empowerment but are unable totransform gender norms, at least in themedium term.
Women Empowerm
ent
Access and Control over Resources
Decision-Making
and Mobility
Intrinsic Agency