Women s Empowerment & Social Protection: cash transfers and beyond

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1 Women s Empowerment & Social Protection: cash transfers and beyond Ana Paula De la O-Campos, Benjamin Davis & Silvio Daidone Food and Agriculture Organization-UN Malawi: Investing in Children and Women for Community Transformation CSW59 - New York, 19 March, 2015

2 Who are the CT beneficiaries in Sub Saharan Africa? Most are rural, engaged in agriculture and work for themselves >80% produce crops; >50% have livestock Most grow local staples, traditional technology and low levels of modern inputs Most production consumed on farm Most have low levels of productive assets Few hectares of land, a few animals, basic tools, few years of education Engaged on farm, non farm business, casual wage labor (ganyu) Often labor-constrained and more vulnerable: Elderly, female headed households Large share of children work on the family farm 50% in Zambia, 30% in Lesotho, 42% in Kenya

3 In this context: Why does women s empowerment matter for social protection? (1) Women are often transfer recipients and targeted by SP because of gender-related vulnerabilities (FHH). In SS Africa, women are the majority of cash recipients: Ghana LEAP (81%); Zambia CT (98%); Zimbabwe HSCT (64%); and Lesotho CT (67%). And female-headed households form the majority of household beneficiaries: 73% in Ethiopia CT, 65% in Kenya OVC-CT, and 83% in Malawi SCT. (2) Measures to promote empowerment ensures that SP benefits reach women and they obtain equal benefits than men: Participation in shaping social protection design and interventions that address their needs Addressing physical mobility and constraints in labour capacity and care responsibilities Increasing decision-making on how benefits are used or cash received is spent

4 (3) SCTs targeted to the ultra-poor have economic empowerment impacts: global evidence Women s economic advancement Expand income-generating activities (small-businesses) Facilitate hiring labour for agriculture and expands land use Increase access to productive resources (farming tools; livestock) Women s self-esteem and social empowerment Increase dignity and self-esteem, higher respect from men (and women) Enable joining social networks and participate in public life Women s decision-making power Mixed-results: increase decisions mostly on the use of cash transfer, not on overall household decision-making Weak (or absent) impact in changing traditional gender roles Increased women s (and their families ) wellbeing enabling empowerment Overall improvement in food consumption, dwelling renovations, personal clothing

5 SCTs in SS Africa: households invest in livelihood activities though impact varies by country Beneficiaries ALSO use cash transfers to: Acquire agricultural inputs (Zambia, Lesotho, Ghana) Acquire agricultural tools (Malawi, Zambia) CT increased household agricultural production (Zambia and Lesotho) CT increased household food production (Malawi and Kenya) Beneficiaries bought livestock: All types: Zambia, Malawi Small: Kenya, Lesotho, Tanzania Started non-farm enterprises in Zambia, and Kenya (only FHH) Malawi SCT: higher impacts for female-headed households in acquiring agricultural tools, and ownership of (small) livestock and poultry

6 SCTs in SS Africa: Shift from casual wage labor to on-farm and family productive activities CTs shifted income strategies: participation in casual wage labor decreased as a result of cash transfers in Zambia, Kenya, Malawi and Lesotho while participation in on-farm labor increased Participation in family off-farm business also increased in Zambia and Malawi Malawi SCT - higher impacts for female-headed households: Reduced days of ganyu labour worked by the head of household Reduced of begging for money Reduced pulling children to work for food or money Reduced of children s time in household chores

7 SCTs in SS Africa: improved ability to manage risk CTs helped households to pay debts in Zambia and Ghana and, in all countries increased their credit worthiness CTs increased savings in Zambia, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania Qualitative fieldwork revealed reduction in negative coping strategies Strengthened social networks in all countries: allowed households to participate, to mingle again re-engagement with social networks of reciprocity informal safety net More evidence is needed: impacts at individual level (females/males) on economic empowerment

8 What have we learned? CT are helping households to smooth decisions in investment, production, labor allocation, risk taking Economic impacts of CT and other SP schemes is an area of increasing interest for poverty reduction and women s empowerment Reaching social goals requires sustainable livelihoods that can move women and men out of poverty Increasing realization that social protection is not enough: complementarities and synergies with other livelihoods interventions are needed particularly if main objective is women s economic and social empowerment

9 How can SCT increase their empowerment effects on women? Gender-sensitive Design: Ensuring regular and predictable payments Addressing mobility and time constraints by incorporating innovative cash transfer methods systems Sensitization on gender issues and legal support Messaging on the use of transfers (economic use is fine too!) Social intermediation services: strengthening access to SP through community social support committees (CSSCs). Building Complementarities & Synergies Linking cash transfers to livelihood interventions that have women s empowerment as an objective: Education & skills dev. Agricultural extension and rural advisory services Transfers of agricultural inputs & asset transfers (FISP or other targeted to ultra-poor) Linking with savings and loan scheme (VSLS) and strengthen with financial literacy programs Promoting and sustaining the creation of women s groups and enterprises

10 Next steps PtoP work in Malawi PtoP is providing support to Malawi s National Social Support Policy and Program (NSSP) through: Guiding policy and program coherence between social and agriculture sectors Supporting the analysis of SCT impact evaluation on rural livelihoods and women s empowerment Building knowledge on SCT program design and complementarities through case studies: Linkages between SCT and other livelihood interventions in agriculture that promote women s economic empowerment and decent rural employment (mid-2015)

11 Our websites From Protection to Production Project The Transfer Project Thank you!!