This paper examines the effect of community-level social trust on women's empowerment, a topic previously theorized but not empirically tested. Using a cross-country survey of 26 nations, the study finds that community trust significantly enhances women's empowerment by increasing asset ownership and improving decision-making authority within families. These findings are robust across rural/urban and age groups and using alternative instrumental variables. Policymakers should prioritize community-based interventions to foster social trust to promote gender equality.

Alena Auchynnikava, Nazim Habibov, Yunhong Lyu, Lida Fan