Abstract:In many conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes worldwide—including Brazil’s Bolsa Família—cash transfers are preferentially made to women. This feature was motivated by earlier research showing that greater control over resources among women is linked to an increase in their decision-making power and improved outcomes among children (e.g. Quisumbing, 2003). However, there is little quantitative evidence demonstrating that CCT programmes with female beneficiaries trigger increases in women’s decision-making power.