abstract: 'BackgroundAchieving gender equality and women''s empowerment is a major

  global priority. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the

  Building the Resilience of Vulnerable Communities in Burkina Faso (BRB)

  project, an agricultural development program, improved women''s

  empowerment, as measured by the project-level Women''s Empowerment in

  Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI).MethodsThis study used a longitudinal,

  quasi-experimental study design. Participants included both treatment

  and comparison groups (total N=751) comprising female members of savings

  groups and their husbands or main male household member in Burkina Faso.

  All participants completed the pro-WEAI questionnaire at both baseline

  and endline. The treatment group received a comprehensive intervention

  package consisting of agriculture loans and services, microenterprise

  loans, and education, nutrition education, and women''s empowerment

  programs including gender-based discussions designed to facilitate

  personalized changes in gender relations.ResultsThe proportion of the

  treatment group achieving empowerment did not change from baseline for

  women, but improved substantially for men. Women from the comparison

  group saw an increase in empowerment at endline while men saw a

  substantial decrease. Gender parity was high for women in both groups at

  baseline and increased slightly at endline. Women were more likely to

  have adequate empowerment in input in productive decisions, group

  membership, and membership in influential groups than men while men were

  more likely to have adequate empowerment in attitudes about domestic

  violence, control over use of income, and work balance than women.

  Participants from the treatment group reported an increase in the

  average number of empowerment indicators that they were adequate in

  while the comparison group saw a decrease in average adequacy over time

  (p=0.002) after controlling for age, sex, and level of

  education.ConclusionDespite starting at an empowerment disadvantage, the

  treatment group experienced gains in individual indicators of

  empowerment while the comparison group men and women experienced mixed

  results, with the women gaining, and the men losing empowerment. This

  research suggests that the BRB intervention may have provided some

  protection for the treatment group when they faced an economic down-turn

  prior to the endline, indicative of household resilience. Future

  research should consider and strengthen relationships between resilience

  and empowerment.'
affiliation: 'Crookston, BT (Corresponding Author), Brigham Young Univ, Dept Publ
  Hlth, 2137 LSB, Provo, UT 84606 USA.

  Crookston, Benjamin T.; West, Josh H.; Davis, Siena F.; Hall, P. Cougar, Brigham
  Young Univ, Dept Publ Hlth, 2137 LSB, Provo, UT 84606 USA.

  Seymour, Greg, Int Food Policy Res Inst, 1201 I St NW, Washington, DC 20005 USA.

  Gray, Bobbi L., Grameen Fdn, 1400 K St NW,Suite 550, Washington, DC 20005 USA.'
article-number: '230'
author: Crookston, Benjamin T. and West, Josh H. and Davis, Siena F. and Hall, P.
  Cougar and Seymour, Greg and Gray, Bobbi L.
author-email: benjamin\_crookston@byu.edu
author_list:
- family: Crookston
  given: Benjamin T.
- family: West
  given: Josh H.
- family: Davis
  given: Siena F.
- family: Hall
  given: P. Cougar
- family: Seymour
  given: Greg
- family: Gray
  given: Bobbi L.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1186/s12905-021-01371-9
eissn: 1472-6874
files: []
journal: BMC WOMENS HEALTH
keywords: 'Burkina Faso; Women''s health; Agricultural development; Women''s

  empowerment'
keywords-plus: 'INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE; GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE; EAST-AFRICA; MEN;

  BANGLADESH; RESOURCES; IMPACT; MARRIAGE; LESSONS'
language: English
month: JUN 3
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '63'
orcid-numbers: 'Seymour, Greg/0000-0002-2213-0450

  Crookston, Benjamin/0000-0003-3110-9562'
papis_id: ce0959ef10b4073424e9da9bf1f6ebe9
ref: Crookston2021understandingfemale
times-cited: '9'
title: 'Understanding female and male empowerment in Burkina Faso using the project-level
  Women''s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI): a longitudinal study'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000660866300002
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '3'
volume: '21'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health; Obstetrics
  \& Gynecology
year: '2021'