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Norm, SocialBeyondNCT07734961

Gender-Transformative Interventions and Normative Beliefs About Reproductive Decision-Making

A study testing Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families in people with Norm, Social and Autonomy, run by Technical University of Munich at 1 site in India.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

The ECOVI trial is a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) conducted in rural and urban communities across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan, India, and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 49 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Norm, Social, Autonomy, Relation, Family
What is being tested?
Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2,276 participants
Where
1 siteIndia
Study dates
15 Jul 2025to 30 Nov 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 49 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • married and co-habiting husband-wife pairs;
  • women aged 18-49 and men aged 18 and older;
  • primary residence in a study cluster in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, or Rajasthan;
  • completion of at least primary schooling (4th grade);
  • both partners provide written informed consent and agree to participate in six sessions, baseline and endline surveys, and SMS follow-ups;
  • both partners understand the local language used in sessions;
  • no plans for relocation or prolonged absence before endline.

Who cannot join

  • either partner under 18 years;
  • refusal of consent or unwillingness to participate by either partner;
  • serious physical or mental condition preventing safe active participation.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

India1 site
  • Maharashtra; Rajasthan; Andhra Pradesh

    Pune

Other trials in India

About this study

Official title: Beyond the Couple: Gender-Transformative Interventions and Normative Beliefs About Reproductive Decision-Making of Newly Married People in India

The ECOVI trial is a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) conducted in rural and urban communities across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan, India, and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The trial evaluates the impact of a couples-based financial literacy and gender-transformative intervention ("Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families") on economic intimate partner violence (IPV), economic decision-making, and economic empowerment among 2,276 married couples across 150 clusters.

This sub-study examines an understudied downstream question: whether such couples-based programs change normative beliefs that extend beyond the treated couple's own relationship to younger generations, particularly their daughters and their sons. Specifically, we ask whether the intervention shifts how treated women and men think about who should have the main say in reproductive decisions for newly married couples, for their daughters and their sons. In an additional analysis, we examine whether respondents apply different standards when reproductive decisions concern their daughter and her husband versus their son and his wife. A difference in the endorsement of women's reproductive autonomy across the two scenarios may indicate an asymmetry in the application of egalitarian norms, whereby respondents are more accepting of autonomy for biological daughters than for daughters-in-law. We further examine whether the intervention reduces this gap by promoting more consistent endorsement of women's reproductive decision-making autonomy across both scenarios.

Read more

Items measuring normative beliefs regarding younger generations are added to the ECOVI endline survey before the start of endline data collection. This pre-registration protocol is submitted before any endline data is collected, providing a fully prospective analysis plan. All mediator variables, internalized gender norms, and female household decision-making participation are collected at both baseline and endline as part of the main ECOVI trial.

The sub-study pursues four interconnected objectives: (1) to estimate the causal effect of the intervention on normative beliefs regarding reproductive decision-making; (2) to test whether any such effect operates through a shift in internalized gender norms (the norm internalization channel); (3) to test whether any such effect operates through a shift in perceived community gender norms (the perceived norms channel); and (4) to test whether any such effect operates through an increase in women's participation in household decision-making (the agency channel).

Being tested
Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families
Keywords
Gender norms, Gender transformation, Couples intervention, Reproductive autonomy, India, Women's empowerment

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for FamiliesOther

    The ECOVI intervention "Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families" integrates financial literacy education with gender-transformative content on equitable household roles, communication skills, and joint decision-making, delivered in six structured community-based sessions for couples.

Study groups in NCT07734961
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for FamiliesExperimentalThe ECOVI intervention "Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families" integrates financial literacy education with gender-transformative content on equitable household roles, communication skills, and joint decision-making, delivered in six structured community-based sessions for couples. Married couples in clusters assigned to the intervention receive a structured program of six community-based sessions. Each session lasts between 2.5 and 3 hours and includes participatory activities, discussions, and exercises. All six sessions would be conducted by the same two facilitators - one male and one female. The content integrates financial literacy (e.g., household budgeting, saving practices, joint financial planning) with gender-transformative training (e.g., equitable household roles, communication skills, conflict resolution, and fostering empathy between spouses). Sessions are delivered by trained facilitators in a group setting with fifteen couples, approximately every 2-4
Receives: Other: Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families
ControlNo interventionMarried couples in clusters assigned to the control arm do not receive the special couples training during the study period. Participants in control group continue with standard activities and resources available in the community but without the structured sessions provided to the intervention arm. This control condition represents the status quo against which the added effect of the intervention can be measured. After the conclusion of the study, control clusters may be offered the intervention materials or sessions via the NGO partners in case investigators find overall positive treatment effects, ensuring ethical considerations are me

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Intergenerational Normative Beliefs Items

    Normative beliefs regarding reproductive decision-making are assessed using three hypothetical scenario-based items with identical wording and response options. Respondents indicate who should have the main say in deciding whether and when a newly married couple has children in three contexts: (1) a newly married couple in the community, (2) the respondent's daughter and her husband, and (3) the respondent's son and his wife. Response options include wife, joint decision by spouses, husband, other family members, other, and prefer not to say.

    Measured: T2 = endline (~6 months after intervention, approx. 1.5 years after baseline))

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Jul 2026
  2. Study start15 Jul 2025
  3. Primary completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
2,276 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07734961
Sponsor's protocol ID
101115963
Acronym
Beyond
Status last verified
Jul 2026
First submitted
9 Jul 2026
Last updated
29 Jul 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared. However, fully anonymized datasets may be shared with project partners and qualified researchers working on related topics (e.g., gender norms and economic violence) for secondary analyses, including cross-country or pooled analyses, subject to data sharing agreements and ethical approvals. Access Criteria: Available on request upon approval by overall study PI Prof. Dr. Steinert

Publications

  • Ugargol, A. P., & Bailey, A. (2018). Family caregiving for older adults: gendered roles and caregiver burden in emigrant households of Kerala, India. Asian Population Studies, 14(2), 194-210. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441730.2017.1412593

  • Tankard, M. E., & Paluck, E. L. (2016). Norm Perception as a Vehicle for Social Change. Social Issues and Policy Review, 10(1), 181-211. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12022

  • Singh, P., Pattanaik, F., & Singh, A. (2023). Beyond the Clock: Exploring the Complexities of Women's Domestic Roles in India Through the Lenses of Daughters and Daughters-in-Law. The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 66(2), 535-559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41027-023-00441-w

  • Shakya HB, Cislaghi B, Fleming P, Levtov RG, Boyce SC, Raj A, Silverman JG. Associations of attitudes and social norms with experiences of intimate partner violence among married adolescents and their husbands in rural Niger: a dyadic cross-sectional study. BMC Womens Health. 2022 May 18;22(1):180. doi: 10.1186/s12905-022-01724-y.

    PubMed 35585589
  • Schuler SR, Rottach E. Women's Empowerment across Generations in Bangladesh. J Dev Stud. 2010 Mar;46(3):379-396. doi: 10.1080/00220380903318095.

    PubMed 20847904
  • Roy, S., Ara, J., Das, N., & Quisumbing, A. R. (2015). "Flypaper effects" in transfers targeted to women: Evidence from BRAC's "Targeting the Ultra Poor" program in Bangladesh. Journal of Development Economics, 117, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2015.06.004

  • Raj A, Sabarwal S, Decker MR, Nair S, Jethva M, Krishnan S, Donta B, Saggurti N, Silverman JG. Abuse from in-laws during pregnancy and post-partum: qualitative and quantitative findings from low-income mothers of infants in Mumbai, India. Matern Child Health J. 2011 Aug;15(6):700-12. doi: 10.1007/s10995-010-0651-2.

    PubMed 20680670
  • Ragavan M, Iyengar K. Violence Perpetrated by Mothers-in-Law in Northern India: Perceived Frequency, Acceptability, and Options for Survivors. J Interpers Violence. 2020 Sep;35(17-18):3308-3330. doi: 10.1177/0886260517708759. Epub 2017 May 15.

    PubMed 29294754
  • Perales F, Hoffmann H, King T, Vidal S, Baxter J. Mothers, fathers and the intergenerational transmission of gender ideology. Soc Sci Res. 2021 Sep;99:102597. doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102597. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

    PubMed 34429210
  • Pakrashi, D., Rahut, D., Sedai, A. K., Sinha, A., & Sonobe, T. (2026). Reshaping gender norms and building trust: Evidence from a community-based couple counseling RCT. European Economic Review, 186, 105306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2026.105306

  • Kadir MM, Fikree FF, Khan A, Sajan F. Do mothers-in-law matter? Family dynamics and fertility decision-making in urban squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. J Biosoc Sci. 2003 Oct;35(4):545-58. doi: 10.1017/s0021932003005984.

    PubMed 14621251
  • Jamil, M., & Bukhari, K. (2020). Intergenerational Comparison of Women Empowerment and its Determinants. International Journal on Women Empowerment, 6, 30-46. https://doi.org/10.29052/2413-4252.v6.i1.2020.30-46

  • Imai K, Keele L, Tingley D. A general approach to causal mediation analysis. Psychol Methods. 2010 Dec;15(4):309-34. doi: 10.1037/a0020761.

    PubMed 20954780
  • Gupta, T., & Negi, D. S. (2021). Daughter vs. Daughter-in-Law: Kinship Roles and Women's Time Use in India. https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.313373

  • Doyle K, Levtov RG, Karamage E, Rakshit D, Kazimbaya S, Sayinzoga F, Sibomana H, Ngayaboshya S, Rutayisire F, Barker G. Long-term impacts of the Bandebereho programme on violence against women and children, maternal health-seeking, and couple relations in Rwanda: a six-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Sep 26;64:102233. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102233. eCollection 2023 Oct.

    PubMed 37781160

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Let Us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families in people with Norm, Social and Autonomy, run by Technical University of Munich at 1 site in India.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in India. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Intergenerational Normative Beliefs Items (time frame: T2 = endline (~6 months after intervention, approx. 1.5 years after baseline))). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07734961, which also lists 26 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Jul 2026.

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