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