Speaker
Description
Despite rising educational attainment for young women, traditional gender norms in developing countries limit women’s labor force participation. This study, in urban India, examines how career exploration during secondary school impacts students' expectations about women's labor force participation and views on whether women having higher education or earnings than their husbands causes marital problems. We find that the expectation to work in the future is almost universal for girls when marriage and childbearing are not mentioned but declines sharply when these life-changing events are mentioned for a similarly situated girl. Further, over one-third of students perceive that educational or income advantages for women relative to their husbands can lead to marital problems. The career exploration program causally increases labor force participation expectations post-childbearing and reduces concerns about marital problems potentially challenging traditional gender norms.
| Keyword | Gender Economics |
|---|
