The power of lump sums: Using maternity payment schedules to reduce the gender asset gap in households reached by Brazil’s Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer

•In rural Brazil, women often save monthly conditional cash transfer by using the money to buy durable household assets.•When these women receive a lump sum maternity benefit, they typically use the money to buy productive agricultural assets.•Lump sum payments thus help women defy local stereotypes that assign ownership of agricultural assets to men.•Monthly money is spent differently than lump sum money. This is because payment schedules affect mental accounting habits.•Lump sum payments may be an effective way to combat gender inequality in asset ownership.