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The Impact of Role Models on Youths' Aspirations, Gender Attitudes and Education in Somalia

Author

Listed:
  • Kipchumba, Elijah

    (Trinity College Dublin)

  • Porter, Catherine

    (Lancaster University)

  • Serra, Danila

    (Texas A&M University)

  • Sulaiman, Munshi

    (BRAC University)

Abstract

We evaluate the impact of a role model intervention on the gender attitudes, college aspirations and education outcomes of youths in Somalia. In 2018, we randomly selected elementary schools to receive a visit from a college student. Within each treatment school, we selected four grades, two to receive a visit from a female college student and two from a male college student. The "role models" gave unscripted talks about their personal study journeys, including challenges and strategies to overcome setbacks. Six months after the intervention we found a significant and large impact of (only) female role models on boys' and girls' attitudes toward gender equality but no impact on college aspirations. Data collected two and four years later from the cohorts graduating primary school produce smaller and non-significant treatment effects on the survey outcomes, but positive impacts on enrollment in high school and a lower probability of early marriage as reported by teachers.

Suggested Citation

  • Kipchumba, Elijah & Porter, Catherine & Serra, Danila & Sulaiman, Munshi, 2024. "The Impact of Role Models on Youths' Aspirations, Gender Attitudes and Education in Somalia," IZA Discussion Papers 17261, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17261
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    role models; education; gender; aspirations; field experiment; Somalia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments

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