Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates

This study explores how household migration—domestic or international—affects women’s empowerment in Honduras. Using panel data from 1,209 households collected over three years (2023–2025), we implement two main approaches: (i) a between-household comparison using endline cross-sectional data, relyi...

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Main Authors: Ceballos, Francisco, Domínguez, Ana Sofía, Heckert, Jessica, Hernandez, Manuel A., Paz, Florencia
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: CGIAR System Organization 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179532
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author Ceballos, Francisco
Domínguez, Ana Sofía
Heckert, Jessica
Hernandez, Manuel A.
Paz, Florencia
author_browse Ceballos, Francisco
Domínguez, Ana Sofía
Heckert, Jessica
Hernandez, Manuel A.
Paz, Florencia
author_facet Ceballos, Francisco
Domínguez, Ana Sofía
Heckert, Jessica
Hernandez, Manuel A.
Paz, Florencia
author_sort Ceballos, Francisco
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This study explores how household migration—domestic or international—affects women’s empowerment in Honduras. Using panel data from 1,209 households collected over three years (2023–2025), we implement two main approaches: (i) a between-household comparison using endline cross-sectional data, relying on three alternative strategies to reduce selection bias, and (ii) a within-household difference-indifferences analysis tracking changes in empowerment metrics for the same women over time. The former analysis shows important gains in instrumental agency after a household member migrates internationally, but no measurable changes when a household member migrates domestically. In contrast, the within-household analysis finds no significant improvements and even some negative effects in collective agency and agency-enabling resources. Our findings highlight the complexity of migration’s effect on women’s empowerment, underscoring the importance of distinguishing between different types of migration when analyzing these effects and the need for high-quality longitudinal data to support plausibly causal interpretations.
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spelling CGSpace1795322026-01-21T02:08:47Z Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates Ceballos, Francisco Domínguez, Ana Sofía Heckert, Jessica Hernandez, Manuel A. Paz, Florencia gender women's empowerment migration households This study explores how household migration—domestic or international—affects women’s empowerment in Honduras. Using panel data from 1,209 households collected over three years (2023–2025), we implement two main approaches: (i) a between-household comparison using endline cross-sectional data, relying on three alternative strategies to reduce selection bias, and (ii) a within-household difference-indifferences analysis tracking changes in empowerment metrics for the same women over time. The former analysis shows important gains in instrumental agency after a household member migrates internationally, but no measurable changes when a household member migrates domestically. In contrast, the within-household analysis finds no significant improvements and even some negative effects in collective agency and agency-enabling resources. Our findings highlight the complexity of migration’s effect on women’s empowerment, underscoring the importance of distinguishing between different types of migration when analyzing these effects and the need for high-quality longitudinal data to support plausibly causal interpretations. 2025-12-31 2026-01-08T16:48:23Z 2026-01-08T16:48:23Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179532 en Open Access application/pdf CGIAR System Organization Ceballos, Francisco; Domínguez, Ana Sofía; Heckert, Jessica; Hernandez, Manuel A.; and Paz, Florencia. 2025. Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates. CGIAR System Organization. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179532
spellingShingle gender
women's empowerment
migration
households
Ceballos, Francisco
Domínguez, Ana Sofía
Heckert, Jessica
Hernandez, Manuel A.
Paz, Florencia
Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
title Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
title_full Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
title_fullStr Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
title_full_unstemmed Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
title_short Better alone? Assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
title_sort better alone assessing women empowerment after a family member migrates
topic gender
women's empowerment
migration
households
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179532
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AT hernandezmanuela betteraloneassessingwomenempowermentafterafamilymembermigrates
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