Women´s Empowerment in Ecuador: Differentiating the impact of two interventions

Abstract

This paper analyses the impact of two interventions on women's empowerment in Ecuador using an experimental design. Women's empowerment is operationalized by using two metrics: first, the participation of women in the decision process at household level and, second, the disagreements between men and women in the decision process. We find negative effects of both interventions on women's participation on the decision‐making process at household level. However, we do find positive effects on disagreements regarding women's work and use of contraceptives, as well as positive effects of vouchers on disagreements on large food purchases and large assets purchases