The Short-Term Impacts of a Schooling Conditional Cash Transfer Program on the Sexual Behavior of Young Women
Recent evidence suggests that conditional cash transfer programs for schooling are effective in raising school enrollment and attendance. However, there is also reason to believe that such programs can affect other outcomes, such as the sexual beha...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20091022111746 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4281 |
| Summary: | Recent evidence suggests that
conditional cash transfer programs for schooling are
effective in raising school enrollment and attendance.
However, there is also reason to believe that such programs
can affect other outcomes, such as the sexual behavior of
their young beneficiaries. Zomba Cash Transfer Program is a
randomized, ongoing conditional cash transfer intervention
targeting young women in Malawi that provides incentives (in
the form of school fees and cash transfers) to current
schoolgirls and recent dropouts to stay in or return to
school. An average offer of US$10/month conditional on
satisfactory school attendance plus direct payment of
secondary school fees led to significant declines in early
marriage, teenage pregnancy, and self-reported sexual
activity among program beneficiaries after just one year of
program implementation. For program beneficiaries who were
out of school at baseline, the probability of getting
married and becoming pregnant declined by more than 40
percent and 30 percent, respectively. In addition, the
incidence of the onset of sexual activity was 38 percent
lower among all program beneficiaries than the control
group. Overall, these results suggest that conditional cash
transfer programs not only serve as useful tools for
improving school attendance, but may also reduce sexual
activity, teen pregnancy, and early marriage. |
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