Increasing women's empowerment: Evaluating two interventions in Uganda

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ambler, Kate; Jones, Kelly M.; O'Sullivan, Michael
• 署名单位: American University; CGIAR; International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); The World Bank
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103575
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: Bargaining power; Intra-household allocation; Family welfare; agriculture; Uganda; AFRICA

摘要

We conduct a randomized controlled trial to test a novel intervention for increasing women's empowerment in Uganda. The intervention includes a within-household transfer of a productive asset, which has a lower cost than an external transfer. We find that transferring control of some of the household's sugarcane to the wife significantly increases her access to resources and decision-making power. We also document increases in women's empowerment arising from a cross-randomized couples' workshop that improved women's selfconcept and shifted beliefs in gender equality. We find no additional impacts from combining the two interventions. Importantly, neither intervention harms the household's productivity or husbands' welfare. In fact, men (and women) report higher marital quality and life satisfaction as a result. However, despite increasing women's empowerment we find no evidence that the interventions increased measured household investment in food security, child health, or education.