Reshaping gender norms and building trust: Evidence from a community-based couple counseling RCT

Traditional gender equity interventions, such as financial inclusion programs, vocational training, and cash transfers, often fail to address the root causes of gender disparities, particularly the disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic labor on women. This study evaluates a novel couple and community based intervention designed to reshape intra-household labor allocation, gender stereotypes, and decision-making. Using a randomized controlled trial in Uttar Pradesh, India, we compare two approaches: (1) private couple counseling and (2) private counseling combined with community-based intervention that leverages public accountability and cooperative decision-making. Our findings show that both interventions significantly improve intra-household cooperation, with the community-based gender sensitive intervention (Treatment 2) yielding stronger and more persistent effects. Women in Treatment 2 experienced reductions of about 40 minutes in unpaid domestic chores and 45 minutes in unpaid care, two non-overlapping components of unpaid domestic labor. Participants in both interventions reported significant reductions in domestic violence and shifts in gender stereotypes. Follow-up data collected one year later confirm the persistence of these effects, particularly in reducing unpaid domestic labor and enhancing men’s caregiving roles. Lab-in-the field experiment at endline shows that Treatment 2 increased willingness to trust and reciprocate among both men and women. Results affirm the potential of engaging men and the community in interventions to achieve improvements in gender equity.