Empowering Women : Evidence from a Field Experiment in Afghanistan

In societies with widespread gender
discrimination, development programs that encourage female
participation in local governance can potentially redress
gender imbalances in economic, political, and social
outcomes. Using a randomized field experiment encompassing
500 Afghan villages, this study finds that a development
program which incorporates mandated female participation
increases female mobility and involvement in income
generation, but does not change female roles in family
decision-making or attitudes toward the general role of
women in society.