Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract

This paper uses an intersectional lens to examine whether social protection delivers the same gender outcomes for all women in Latin America. Focusing on rural/urban and Indigenous/non-Indigenous differences, it shows how intersecting inequalities produce uneven economic inclusion outcomes.

Paper long abstract

Social protection is a key instrument for addressing gender inequalities, with evidence demonstrating its positive effects on women’s economic inclusion and autonomy. Yet critical questions remain about for whom these interventions work, and under what conditions. Drawing on the concept of intersectionality, this paper examines how the gendered effects of social protection are shaped by the interaction of multiple axes of inequality, focusing on differences across rural and urban contexts and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.

Latin America provides a particularly relevant case study for this analysis, having pioneered conditional cash transfers in the 1990s, implemented waves of women-focused microcredit, and more recently developed integrated service packages with a gender lens. At the same time, the region is marked by deep structural inequalities. Persistent urban–rural divides generate large disparities in access to education, health services, and labour markets. Moreover, Indigenous peoples remain overrepresented among the poor and, consequently, among social assistance recipients. Nonetheless, programmes are rarely designed to address their specific needs, which often results in unintended impacts.

This paper shows that while social protection can enhance women’s economic inclusion, impacts are uneven due to intersecting inequalities. Rural and Indigenous women often experience constrained benefits as unpaid care responsibilities, limited access to services and markets, and structural discrimination restrict their autonomy and economic gains. These findings challenge assumptions of women as a homogenous beneficiary group and emphasise the need for intersectional and context-sensitive approaches to social protection design and evaluation.