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It is taken for granted that there is a clear relationship between women‘s participation in paid work and/or cash-earning activities and household well-being, with food outcomes considered to be an important aspect of well-being. This study investigated the underlying assumptions of the theory of change linking women‘s access to cash incomes via paid work and household food dynamics. Women‘s participation in paid work and/or cash-earning activities is often defined as one category, in opposition to non-participation, and seen as leading to uniform outcomes in terms of increased status and intra-household bargaining power. It is assumed that women cover a dominant, if not exclusive, position in the domains of food production, acquisition and preparation. It is assumed that mothers ‘food choices respond rationally and unconditionally to increased resources and nutritional education.