Graduation and Gender Research

Between 2017 and 2026, Concern Worldwide partnered with the Trinity Impact Evaluation Unit at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) to conduct robust and independent research into the impact of Concern’s Graduation programme in Malawi and the benefits of incorporating a gender transformative component into the programme. 

In partnership with Innovation for Poverty Action, the World Bank Gender Innovation Lab, and the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath, the study sought to evaluate the short term (5 months after the programme ended), medium term (17 months post programme), and long term (4.5 years post programme) impacts for 1,800 households that participated in Concern’s Graduation programme in Nsange and Mangochi, Malawi. 

The research shows that engaging female Graduation participants and their spouses in gender transformative dialogue leads to multiple improvements at a higher and more sustainable rate than simply targeting either women or men. These include household income, the value of household assets such as livestock, women’s decision-making power, and the distribution of household chores. 

The findings are the first of its kind to measure the impact of a gender transformative approach within Graduation. They demonstrate that simply targeting women is not enough. Integrating a gender transformative approach is a necessity for achieving better and more sustainable outcomes in Graduation and similar social and economic inclusion programmes.

Between 2017 and 2021, Concern implemented a Graduation Programme in Malawi. It was designed to address some of the key challenges faced by people living in extreme poverty by simultaneously boosting livelihoods and income, providing access to financial services, improving people’s self-confidence and tackling social exclusion.

The intervention was an intense, multifaceted intervention over 18 months, comprising training on a specific livelihood asset, an asset transfer, enhancing access to savings facilities, and time-bound cash transfers. Regular coaching visits at household level were carried out by project staff to support participants in their engagement in the programme.

The gender specific component of the programme engaged couples to reflect upon and discuss issues such as their family vision, gender norms, power, decision-making, budgeting, violence, positive parenting and healthy relationships. A curriculum was developed to engage couples in both mixed and single sex groups at the same time as engaging in Graduation activities, along with a Case Worker manual to guide follow up visits in between group sessions.

Implementation of the Gender Dialogue Approach 

• 12 Graduation couples met together per group 
• 12 sessions held over 12 months 
• 2–3 hour sessions facilitated by Concern Gender Officers 
• Mixed sex and single sex sessions
• Case Worker visits to households to reinforce messages 
• Rapid catch up sessions for absentees 

The research set out to answer the following questions:

1. What is the effect of gender targeting (male or female) on Graduation outcomes? 
2. What is the additional impact of the gender transformative dialogue sessions on the same outcomes?

To evaluate the impact of the programme 5 months, 17 months, and 4.5 years after it had been implemented, a mixed methods approach was adoapted. The researchers conducted a Randomised Control Trial to measure specific impacts over time, complemented by a Qualitative Impact Protocol to qualitatively map the broader impacts. 

For the Randomised Control Trial, the researchers evaluated the impact of three variations of the Graduation Programme (‘treatments’):

1. Women were the primary Graduation participants
2. Men were the primary Graduation participants
3. Women were the primary Graduation participants and they participated in gender transformative dialogue sessions with her their partner. 

All three treatment arms were, compared to a control group.

Each variation of the 18-month long programme was delivered to 600 randomly selected households living in poverty or extreme poverty in Mangochi (300 households) and Nsanje (300 households). An additional 750 households in each district acted as control.

Comparing across intervention groups, the researchers could identify impacts related to the gender of the Graduation participant and the impacts of incorporating gender transformative dialogue sessions into Graduation Programmes. 

As well as a range of quantitative indicators, the study included a Qualitative Impact Protocol to provide evidence on causal mechanisms and stories of change from the perspective of the programme participant. Conducted five months after the programme ended, it focused on unpacking questions around empowerment and the quality of relationships between couples. 

The research found that 17 months post-participation in the programme, households across all treatment arms experienced 

• an increase in income
• improved consumption patterns, food security and dietary diversity
• higher asset and livestock value 
• improvements in sense of social worth, in mental health, and in social cohesion

Evidence from 17 months post intervention shows that integrating the additional component of gender transformative dialogue sessions into the Graduation programme achieved even greater gains for both spouses compared to simply targeting either women or men. 

Targeting women while also including a gender dialogue approach sustainably improved:

• Livestock value (36% higher than simply targeting women) 
• Household income (18% higher than simply targeting women) 
• Asset value (8% higher than simply targeting women) 
• Women’s economic agency (40% higher than the control group) 
• Men’s mental wellbeing (higher than when simply targeting women)
• Couples staying together (6% higher than the control group)
• Harmony between couples 
• Division of household labour 
• Reduced emotional violence (by ~6% for all Graduation households, regardless of who is targeted or whether gender dialogue sessions are included)

A cost benefit analysis of the approach also showed that investing more in gender transformative dialogue reaps greater returns in terms of poverty reduction than targeting more households with Graduation only. 

The same results for 5 years post-implementation are underway and will be updated here when available.