In her hands: Long-term effects of designating mothers as beneficiaries of cash transfers for education

Gender equality and women empowerment are key development goals (Millennium Development Goal N°3). Targeting women (instead of men) with social transfer programs is a potential solution if it can empower them and improve children’s outcomes (especially for girls). Yet, the evidence backing this premise is limited, especially regarding long-term effects. There is also suggestive evidence that targeting women can backfire and increase domestic violence in some contexts. Given the lack of strong evidence risk-averse policymakers may choose to target men instead of women, or if they target women, they may not account for potential harmful effects. The aim of this project is to examine the long-term, community-level effects of designating mothers as beneficiaries of cash transfer programs in Morocco. It leverages the experimental design that accompanied Tayssir, a government program that provided cash transfers to poor households with school-age children in rural areas. When this program was piloted in 2008 in 268 school sectors (with 1,260 villages and over 75,000 beneficiary households), whether cash transfers were made to fathers or mothers was randomized at the school sector level. Upon completion of the pilot in 2010, the program was extended to the whole country with only fathers as beneficiaries, but in the 2008 pilot sample, the initial assignment was maintained. Program data shows that, 15 years after the pilot, the share of female beneficiaries in the initial “transfer-to-mothers” communities was 70%, while it was only 10% in the initial “transfers-to-fathers” communities. This means that, in 630 communities selected at random, mothers of schoolchildren were recognized by the state as recipients of quarterly cash transfers for 15 years, while in the rest of the country, and in particular, in another set of otherwise similar 630 communities, mothers of schoolchildren were never entrusted with cash by the state. We will examine whether the prolonged exposure to women being official beneficiaries of the welfare state changed community-wide gender attitudes and norms, and women’s status in the household. Initial evidence suggests that receiving transfers was potentially transformative for women and their children, because it gave women an opportunity to visit the local market, and modified how the transfers were utilized and if they were used for children. To estimate impacts, we will conduct in-person surveys with 5,000 women and 5,000 men across 536 communities to measure the long-term effects on gender attitudes and norms, women’s agency and autonomy, educational aspiration (especially for girls), well-being, and incidence of domestic violence. We will also use administrative data on 160,000 students in 1,260 primary schools to measure impacts on school enrolment and learning (results at national exams). Generating evidence on the impact of designating women as beneficiaries of social programs is particularly timely in the context of Morocco, a country currently expanding its social protection program. Discussions with policymakers suggest that the administration is particularly interested in the study. The findings will guide us in co-creating a tailored policy that demonstrates an understanding of the challenges faced by those living in poverty and fosters a positive long-term impact on women in Morocco. In addition, the project has significant societal impact potential as it could inform the targeting of poverty programs implemented by governments and NGOs beyond Morocco.