Economic Inclusion in Myanmar : Understanding Livelihood Constraints among Maternal and Child Cash Transfer Beneficiaries

Overview & Synopsis

This report, examines livelihood constraints faced by beneficiaries of Myanmar’s Maternal and Child Cash Transfer (MCCT) program in the context of the country’s ongoing economic, social, and humanitarian crises. Conducted in May 2026 across peri-urban areas of Yangon and Mandalay, the study employed qualitative methods, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews with 109 participants, to identify barriers that limit women’s economic participation and inform the design of economic inclusion interventions linked to the MCCT platform. The findings reveal that women’s livelihood opportunities are shaped by a combination of household-level and structural constraints. Key household-level barriers include caregiving responsibilities, limited access to affordable credit, lack of productive assets, weak social networks, and housing insecurity. Structural constraints include conflict and military conscription, lack of civil documentation, and unreliable electricity, all of which restrict employment, mobility, business expansion, and access to financial services. These challenges are further compounded by the effects of displacement, inflation, declining labor opportunities, and the loss of productive assets resulting from conflict and the 2025 earthquake. Despite these challenges, the study finds strong interest among women in self-employment and home-based enterprises such as market vending, tailoring, weaving, food preparation, and small retail businesses, which are viewed as more compatible with childcare and household responsibilities. The report highlights the potential of the MCCT program to serve as a platform for “cash-plus” interventions that combine cash transfers with complementary support such as childcare services, savings groups, financial literacy training, productive grants, asset transfers, mentorship, and referral services. An integrated and locally adapted approach that addresses multiple constraints simultaneously is recommended to promote sustainable livelihoods, strengthen household resilience, and advance economic inclusion among vulnerable women and families in Myanmar.