The study assesses the impact of social safety net interventions, including cash transfers, in-kind (food or vouchers) or asset transfers, public work schemes or child care services. The authors synthesise findings from 93 randomised controlled trials implemented across 45 low- and middle-income countries and enrolling 219.000 women. In a meta-regression, the team examines which programme types are most effective in empowering women.

The meta-analysis reveals:
☑️ Social safety net interventions significantly enhance women's economic empowerment, e.g. by increasing their assets owned, savings and income/expenditures
☑️ Social safety net interventions also substantially improve women's agency, e.g. by increasing their decision-making power, self-efficacy, and political voice
☑️ Our meta-regression shows that conditional cash transfers (tying receipt of cash to the fulfillment of certain conditions like sending children to health check-ups) have reduced effectiveness and may in fact constrain women's agency

The findings celarly show that investing in the scale-up of social safety net interventions can effectively empower women.  

The full open-access paper can be read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02394-0 

And the 2-page research briefing can be accessed here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02395-z