Tiny improvements in women's empowerment don't actually do anything to make them want more out of life.
SSRN · March 17, 2026 · 6322038
The Takeaway
Researchers found an 'S-curve' in empowerment where aspirations remain flat until a very high threshold is met. This suggests that marginalized people 'manage' their hopes as a survival mechanism, refusing to raise their expectations until their social standing has improved enough to make those hopes actually achievable.
From the abstract
The formation of aspirations depends on both social factors and personal circumstances and experiences. Socially determined aspirational reference points create behavioral incentives to improve one's standing but can also have a frustrating effect, motivating the hypothesis of a non-monotonic relationship between aspirations and forward-looking investments. Moreover, marginalized groups facing societal constraints on the pursuit of their life ambitions, such as women, may engage in aspirations m