| Abstract: |
Female "empowerment" has increasingly become a policy goal, both as an end to
itself and as a means to achieving other development goals. Microfinance in
particular has often been argued, but not without controversy, to be a tool
for empowering women. Here, using a randomized controlled trial, we examine
whether access to an individually-held commitment savings product leads to an
increase in female decision-making power within the household. We find
positive impacts, particularly for women who have below median decision-making
power in the baseline, and we find this leads to a shift towards
female-oriented durables goods purchased in the household. |