Do cash transfers (CTs) in emergency contexts currently benefit women and contribute to women’s empowerment? How can NGOs and donors develop more gender-sensitive CT programmes that help to redress inequality and work towards empowerment? This report examines the impacts of cash transfers on gender dynamics within households and communities. It finds mixed impacts and insufficient consideration of gender inequality and gender analysis in programme processes. To realise the potential value of CTs for women, NGOs and donors need to ensure, for example, that all emergency responses include a gender and social analysis; that clear and attainable gender aims are specified for each stage of the intervention; and that more investment is made in staff training.
The report draws on a literature review, NGO programme evaluations and country studies (in Indonesia, Kenya and Zimbabwe). It highlights the common but false assumption that women’s ’empowerment’ is an automatic by-product of a CT programme.
The impact of the CTs on women depended very much on the context. Overall, there were many positive benefits for women. These included increased self-esteem and confidence to handle money and an acceptance by men that women are capable of handling money. On the whole, household relations improved as a result of the CTs targeting women and there were indications that some of these improvements may last beyond the length of the programme. However:
- Community relations did not necessarily improve, and in some cases worsened
- The CTs tended to reinforce rather than challenge women’s traditional household and social roles
- Complex social dynamics, such as polygamy, were not accounted for
- The distribution of food within households remained highly gendered and hierarchical.
In none of the CTs studied was there a clear programme aim to address gender inequalities, although all the project documents referred to expected benefits for women recipients. Staff did not have a clear understanding of gender empowerment or what aspects of gender equality could be promoted throughout the programmes. In addition:
- Only in Indonesia was a gender analysis undertaken prior to implementation, and nowhere were concepts such as gender inequality or women’s empowerment defined or analysed.
- Local partners were seen as implementers rather than co-owners of the projects and their understanding of gender issues was not used to inform project design.
- Women were not involved in pre-project discussions or in monitoring the work, and the indicators of success largely focused on quantifiable data.
CTs can have significant value for women, but what can be achieved in each context will depend on existing social structures and barriers, and these must be understood. It is important to be aware that ’empowerment’ is a long term, deep and multifaceted goal. At a minimum, based on a sound gender analysis, interventions should do no harm. In longer-term work or in the recovery phases, building positive impacts for women can contribute towards empowerment. Recommendations include the following:
- Conduct a gender and social analysis as part of all emergency responses. Experience in West Sumatra shows that this is possible even in sudden onset emergencies. In slow onset and chronic emergencies and in countries prone to disaster, a full gender and social analysis should be part of the disaster preparedness contingency planning.
- Articulate clear and attainable gender aims for each stage of the intervention.
- Establish gender-sensitive complaints procedures and ensure that CTs are seen as an entitlement rather than a gift.
- Systematically monitor the achievements of gender-specific aims alongside traditional programme measurements.
- Invest time and money in staff training, to embed a gender perspective into all programmes.
