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The Program Involving Men in the Economic Empowerment of Women – Bolsa Família was inspired and based on the results of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey – IMAGES, which identified a link between increasing incomes, participation in conditional cash transfer and increased experiences of violence.

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Intervention

​Group awareness encourages men and women to critically reflect on the division of decision-making and power dynamics in their relationships, with the aim of increasing the impact of promoting gender equity through the Bolsa Família program in Brazil, a of the first and largest conditional cash transfer programs in the world, reaching more than 11 million families.

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Advocacy

One of the results of this program will be to make policy recommendations to the Brazilian government and international organizations on the benefits of gender transformative interventions in the context of conditional cash transfer programs.

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Created in 2003, the Brazilian Bolsa Família program is one of the first and largest conditional income transfer programs in the world, with one in four Brazilians registered. Bolsa Família aims to eliminate extreme poverty and increase access to services for the most economically and socially vulnerable populations. The program's conditionalities are all child-centered, including up-to-date vaccinations, regular school attendance and annual medical examinations.

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Promundo has been testing interventions that seek to influence the actions of Bolsa Família, with the aim of enabling the questioning of traditional gender norms. Through these interventions, the social and economic impact of the Bolsa Família program can be expanded, involving men in supporting women's economic empowerment, which includes, among other factors, political participation, decision-making and entry into the job market. Through qualitative and quantitative research, Promundo aims to develop policy recommendations aimed at the Brazilian federal government and the international community on the benefits of gender transformative interventions in the field of conditional income transfers.

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This action research project, which is funded by the UN Women Gender Equality Fund, lasts three years and is being implemented in urban and rural communities in the states of Rio de Janeiro, by Promundo, and Pernambuco, by Instituto Papai . Good practices and lessons learned will be recorded and shared with the aim of serving as a model that can be expanded to other Brazilian states and countries with similar policies and programs.

 

Related programs:

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• Journeys of Transformation : Promotes women's economic empowerment through engaging men as allies in transforming gender-related attitudes and behaviors that affect social development.

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