Engaging men for women’s economic empowerment: overview of the evidence
This overview examines evidence on the effectiveness of 3 different types of approaches that have been tested.
Abstract
Promoting women’s socioeconomic empowerment means increasing women’s control over the resources and decisions that are important for their well-being. Achieving these goals requires engaging men, since men often have influence over the lives of women in t heir households and communities. This overview examines evidence on the effectiveness of 3 different types of approaches that have been tested: Adding an engaging men intervention to complement a program designed to support women’s individual economic activities: Studies of these interventions show mixed results. Some have had success while others highlight the risk that this type of intervention could reduce women’s autonomy; Complementing support for household production or consumption with programming that encourages cooperative management or joint planning: These types of interventions are promising, especially for increasing women’s role in the management of household resources, although they have had limited impact on women’s individual-level economic outcomes; and Encouraging men to recognize or enhance their wives’ rights to ownership of important assets: There is very limited research available on this category of intervention, although available evidence is promising. Additional research in other contexts is necessary.
This is an output from the Africa Gender Innovation Lab programme.
Citation
Pierotti, Rachael; Delavallade, Clara; Kaur Brar, Rajdev. Engaging Men for Women’s Economic Empowerment: Overview of the Evidence. Gender Innovation Lab, September 2023. World Bank, Washington, 2023
Links
Engaging men for women’s economic empowerment: overview of the evidence