Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcasts
  • About Us
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Cold Call Podcast
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
    • Working Paper Summaries
  • Browse All
    • COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      Female Empowerment: Impact of a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines
      29 Apr 2009Working Paper Summaries

      Female Empowerment: Impact of a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines

      by Nava Ashraf, Dean Karlan and Wesley Yin
      Does access to personal savings increase female decision-making power in the household? The answer could be important for policymakers looking to increase female empowerment. HBS professor Nava Ashraf and colleagues developed a commitment savings product called a SEED (Save, Earn, Enjoy Deposits) account with a small, rural bank in the Philippines. The SEED account requires that clients commit not to withdraw funds that are in the account until they reach a goal date or amount, but it does not explicitly commit the client to continue depositing funds after opening the account. This working paper examines the impact of the commitment savings product on both self-reported decision-making processes within the household and the subsequent household allocation of resources. Key concepts include:
      • The commitment savings product positively impacts household decision-making power for women (i.e., the household is more likely to buy female-oriented durables) and self-perception of savings behavior (time-inconsistent females report being more disciplined savers), as well as actual consumption decisions regarding durable goods.
      • A simple design feature such as a restriction on withdrawals or encouraging savings through marketing or door-to-door deposits can benefit women in search of self-control devices as well as those who desire to have more decision-making power in the household.
      LinkedIn
      Email

      Author Abstract

      Female "empowerment" has increasingly become a policy goal, both as an end to itself and as a means to achieving other development goals. Microfinance in particular has often been argued, but not without controversy, to be a tool for empowering women. Here, using a randomized controlled trial, we examine whether access to and marketing of an individually-held commitment savings product leads to an increase in female decision-making power within the household. We find positive impacts, particularly for women who have below median decision-making power in the baseline, and we find this leads to a shift towards female-oriented durables goods purchased in the household. Keywords: savings, microfinance, female empowerment, household decision making. 27 pages.

      Paper Information

      • Full Working Paper Text
      • Working Paper Publication Date: March 2009
      • HBS Working Paper Number: 09-100
      • Faculty Unit(s): Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
          Trending
            • 29 Oct 2020
            • Research & Ideas

            The COVID Gender Gap: Why Fewer Women Are Dying

            • 13 Jul 2020
            • Research & Ideas

            Merck CEO Ken Frazier Discusses a COVID Cure, Racism, and Why Leaders Need to Walk the Talk

            • 25 Feb 2019
            • Research & Ideas

            How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence

            • 19 Jan 2021
            • In Practice

            Leadership Advice for Biden: Restore a Sense of Calm

            • 01 Nov 2020
            • Research & Ideas

            Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness

        Find Related Articles
        • Personal Finance
        • Finance
        • Gender
        • Globalization
        • Financial Services
        • Asia

        Sign up for our weekly newsletter

        Interested in improving your business? Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Business School faculty.
        ǁ
        Campus Map
        Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
        Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
        Soldiers Field
        Boston, MA 02163
        Email: Editor-in-Chief
        →Map & Directions
        →More Contact Information
        • Make a Gift
        • Site Map
        • Jobs
        • Harvard University
        • Trademarks
        • Policies
        • Digital Accessibility
        Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College