Events

This study investigates the long-term impacts of the Bicycle for Education and Empowerment Programme (BEEP), which provided bicycles to adolescent girls in Zambia living at least three kilometers from secondary school to improve access to education. Using a randomised controlled trial design, 45 out of 100 schools were assigned to receive the intervention. Five years after implementation, we conducted follow-up interviews with 1615 adolescent girls in both treatment and control communities.

We estimate the average effect of being assigned to the treatment group, known as the intent-to-treat effect (ITT), on each outcome variable using a linear probability regression model.  We cluster the standard errors at the school level (unit of randomisation) and correct p-values for mutiple hypothesis testing using the Benjamini-Hochberg method. We find that access to a bicycle increased girls’ self-reported empowerment and reduced experiences of family and intimate partner violence. At the same time, however, it led to higher rates of early marriage—an outcome that runs counter to the programme’s intended goals. To understand this paradox, we examine potential mechanisms, including improvements in socioeconomic status and increased bride price payments among girls in the treatment group, suggesting a rise in their perceived value in the marriage market. These patterns are consistent with the interpretation that girls who received a bicycle exercised greater agency, making strategic decisions about marriage.

Overall, our findings highlight the complex interplay between empowerment, economic opportunity, and social norms. They underscore the importance of anticipating unintended consequences when designing and evaluating gender-focused development interventions.

The Sociology Seminar Series for Trinity Term is convened by Jasmin Abdel Ghany and Nontokozo Langwenya. For more information about this or any of the seminars in the series, please contact sociology.secretary@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.