The Impact of Economic Resource Transfers to Women versus Men: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examined the question: “what is the evidence of the impact on family well-being of giving economic resources to women relative to the impact of giving them to men?” This review is of interest to policy-makers and funders in developed and developing countries, given the recent growth in the number of poverty alleviation transfer programs that implicitly or explicitly designate women as transfer recipients.

Results:

 The gender of the transfer recipient affects the outcomes of some programmes –

 Targeting transfers to women can improve children’s well-being – in particular in the form of investments of children’s health and education.

 Increasing female control of transfers does not guarantee positive outcomes.

 Findings for micro-credit remain highly controversial and inconclusive.

 Outcomes may be dependent on the type of programme offered.