In the remote villages of Bangladesh, where extreme poverty is a daily reality for many, development programs aimed at lifting ultra-poor households out of destitution have shown promise. One such program, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee-Targeting the Ultra Poor (BRAC-TUP), employs a multifaceted “graduation approach” that equips families with livestock, alongside technical training, life-skills coaching, and financial stipends. While the primary objective is economic advancement, a recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reveals an unintended consequence of these noble efforts: the reinforcement of traditional gender roles that may perpetuate educational and occupational disparities between boys and girls.
The research, spearheaded by Alejandro Montoya Castaño during his doctoral work in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, probes deeply into whether the BRAC-TUP intervention influences parental aspirations for their children’s futures. Bangladesh’s societal landscape is characterized by significant gender disparities, particularly concerning educational attainment and workforce participation. The study scrutinizes whether the program’s influence extends beyond economic improvement to affect parents’ hopes for their sons and daughters in terms of education and occupational attainment.
Utilizing data from a comprehensive survey encompassing 7,300 households across 1,309 villages in 13 impoverished districts, the researchers analyzed parental expectations at multiple intervals over four years. This longitudinal data collection allowed for an insightful comparison between families engaged in the BRAC-TUP program versus those outside it, shedding light on shifts in aspirations for the eldest children, differentiating distinctly between sons and daughters.
The findings are revealing: two years into the program, parents involved with BRAC-TUP exhibited a 6 to 10 percent increase in the likelihood of envisioning their sons pursuing aspirational occupations that require completion of high school or beyond—roles such as government employees or educators. Conversely, there was no parallel increase in expectations for girls; instead, girls’ future roles were more frequently anticipated to remain within traditional confines, such as household responsibilities or on-farm labor.
This delineation underscores a complex dynamic where economic relief through the program inadvertently consolidates gender norms rather than dissolving them. Co-author Mary Arends-Kuenning, a professor at the University of Illinois, points out that as households acquire more resources, it paradoxically may become more feasible for girls to work within the home environment. For instance, female family members might engage in home-based entrepreneurship activities like processing rice or marketing dairy products. While these roles contribute economically, they fall short of expanding educational or broader occupational horizons for girls.
Importantly, this pattern contrasts with other initiatives in Bangladesh expressly designed to promote female education, such as scholarship programs that subsidize girls’ secondary schooling. These targeted educational interventions have demonstrated more pronounced shifts in gender norms and aspirations, suggesting that economic interventions alone may be insufficient catalysts for social change.
Bangladesh’s pioneering role in microfinance, epitomized by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, offers a contextual backdrop where women’s economic empowerment is celebrated. Women participating in microlending and programs like BRAC often traverse village landscapes independently and can serve as critical role models within their communities. Nonetheless, deep-seated cultural constraints continue to circumscribe many women’s mobility and public roles, indicating that transforming entrenched gender norms requires sustained, multifaceted strategies over extended periods.
Further complicating the picture, the research reveals that even increased parental aspirations for boys do not automatically translate into concrete outcomes such as higher school enrollment rates. While expenditures on education may rise modestly, tangible improvements in educational attainment within the assessed timeframe remain absent. Montoya Castaño notes limitations including the relatively short duration of the study and the focus on only the eldest child’s prospects. It remains possible that over longer periods, or when considering younger siblings, the program’s educational impacts might become more evident.
Beyond aspirations and education, economic stability itself remains elusive for a significant subset of participant households. Approximately 30 percent lost the crucial livestock asset after several years, resulting in a regression to their pre-intervention living conditions and trapping them once again in cycles of poverty. This attrition underscores the fragility of gains achieved through asset-based interventions without sufficient support mechanisms to sustain progress.
In light of these nuanced outcomes, the study’s authors advocate for enhancements to the BRAC-TUP program, particularly its training and coaching components. Interventions that explicitly target and address gender norms, while highlighting varied career trajectories for girls, could foster a more balanced reshaping of parental aspirations. These supportive measures need not be costly but could significantly increase the program’s efficacy in promoting gender equity alongside poverty alleviation.
Moreover, the increased political and health awareness observed among BRAC-TUP households indicates that the coaching elements effectively cultivate a broader consciousness that could be leveraged for social transformation. Tailoring these sessions to incorporate gender-sensitive discussions and career guidance stands as a promising avenue to nurture more equitable expectations for both boys and girls.
This study contributes vitally to the discourse on poverty alleviation programs, emphasizing the intricate interplay between economic assistance and social-cultural dynamics. It highlights the indispensable need for development initiatives to integrate gender-conscious frameworks to avoid inadvertently perpetuating existing disparities. As global development paradigms evolve, this research offers invaluable lessons on maximizing not only economic outcomes but also social equity in traditionally patriarchal, resource-constrained settings.
The full research, titled “How does a rural poverty alleviation program affect parents’ aspirations about their children? Evidence from BRAC-TUP in Bangladesh,” is published in the Journal of Development Studies. It stands as a clarion call for policymakers and practitioners to harmonize asset-based interventions with targeted gender empowerment strategies, paving pathways toward both poverty reduction and gender equality in rural Bangladesh and beyond.
Subject of Research: Rural poverty alleviation and parental aspirations in Bangladesh with a focus on gender disparities
Article Title: How does a rural poverty alleviation program affect parents’ aspirations about their children? Evidence from BRAC-TUP in Bangladesh
News Publication Date: 22-Jan-2026
Web References: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00220388.2025.2607412
References: Montoya Castaño, A., & Arends-Kuenning, M. (2026). How does a rural poverty alleviation program affect parents’ aspirations about their children? Evidence from BRAC-TUP in Bangladesh. Journal of Development Studies. DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2025.2607412
Keywords: Economics, Farming, Rural Poverty, Gender Disparities, Education, Development Programs, Bangladesh, BRAC-TUP, Gender Norms, Asset-based Interventions
