Motivation
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep educational and digital divides in Bangladesh. While 96% of rural households own a basic mobile phone, women often lack the confidence, autonomy, or social permission to use these devices meaningfully. [1] In response to school closures, a 15-week Interactive Voice Response (IVR) program in Khulna and Satkhira districts delivered 75 audio-based literacy and numeracy lessons to children, facilitated by their mothers. Mothers also participated in IVR-based quizzes and received incentives via mobile financial services (bKash). Beyond improving children’s learning outcomes, the intervention prompted mothers’ active participation with digital tools, potentially reshaping their agency, parenting practices, and norms around women’s phone use. However, it remains unclear whether these shifts persisted beyond the program and translated into durable gains in women’s empowerment.
Objective
This study examines whether women’s involvement in the IVR-based distance learning intervention has enduring effects on digital connectivity, agency, empowerment, and gender norms. Building on a randomized controlled trial with 1,763 households in 90 villages, the project will revisit mothers who previously facilitated lessons for their children. It will measure outcomes across five domains: digital connectivity; agency in household decision-making, financial control, and mobility; gender attitudes; economic empowerment through financial independence and market participation; and children’s continued educational outcomes. This evaluation primarily depends on structured household surveys and children assessment. By using standard self-reported measures and objective indicators, the study aims to minimize bias and provide robust evidence on the sustainability of changes in women’s digital behaviors and children’s long-term educational outcome. This study enables identification of sustained impacts and the mechanisms that support—or constrain—long-term gains in women’s digital engagement and empowerment.
Proposed Impact
This study will provide evidence on whether low-cost, child-focused digital education interventions can generate lasting gains in women’s digital connectivity, agency, and economic participation. Policymakers may draw on this evidence to design distance learning programs with dual benefits for children and mothers, while donors and telecom providers can explore scalable IVR-based services that promote inclusive connectivity. Academically, the study advances understanding of how basic-phone technologies can reduce gender gaps in digital access and empowerment among disadvantaged women. If sustained impacts are confirmed, this model could provide a blueprint for designing multi-sectoral interventions that leverage mothers’ roles to foster both children’s learning and women’s empowerment.
[1] Hassan, H., Islam, A., Siddique, A., & Wang, L. C. (2024). Telementoring and Homeschooling during School Closures: A Randomized Experiment in Rural Bangladesh. The Economic Journal, (forthcoming).
