Empowering women? Conditional cash transfers in Mexico

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In this chapter, we explore a paradox in conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs aimed at women – namely, that these transfers are meant to empower women, but simultaneously count on women’s subordination to discipline them in accordance with program requirements. By utilizing women’s subordination, program managers subtly reinforce pre-existing norms, including patriarchal ideals. This contradiction is evident in the implementation of Mexico’s Prospera program in the rural and highly marginalized municipality of Calakmul on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. We draw on long-term participant observation and a 15-community survey of 227 households conducted in 2010. In 2017, we returned to four of these communities and interviewed program recipients and administrators. Our research suggests women are aware that Prospera utilizes their vulnerability to insinuate its demands into their lives. None of the women interviewed feel empowered through Prospera. On the contrary, their reliance on a program that they believe can arbitrarily penalize or dismiss them inspires fear. In this sense, Prospera does not soften women’s social marginalization, but instead produces its own social distancing or exclusions. This research contributes to broader understanding of the intersections of CCTs with existing gender structures, expanding beyond a current focus on CCTs’ construction of women as mothers and caregivers. eng