Women’s Empowerment through Financial Literacy in a Developed Country

This paper presents the results of a financial literacy intervention conducted in collaboration with two Italian NGOs supporting women in distress, particularly those facing unemployment, economic dependency or domestic abuse. The program consisted of an interactive lecture focused on essential financial concepts, particularly budgeting and savings. Using a phase-in Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) design, we assess the impact of this intervention on participants’ financial knowledge and confidence. The findings reveal substantial improvements in participants’ understanding of basic financial principles and their f inancial confidence, highlighting strong responsiveness to the program. Furthermore, we identify significant heterogeneity in these outcomes based on women’s socio-demographic characteristics and levels of financial fragility.