Addressing Gender-Based Segregation through Information : Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in theRepublic of Congo

This paper describes a randomized experiment that used a sample of men and women who wereeligible for a vocational training program in the Republic of Congo to test the effect of providing information ontrade-specific earnings on trade choice. The analysis finds that women are 28.6 percent more likely to apply to atraditionally male- dominated trade when receiving this information. Men and women are also both more likely toapply to more lucrative trades. This may in part be driven by the intervention filling an information gap. The analysissuggests, however, that behavioral mechanisms, which make trade-specific returns more salient in the decision processof applicants, play an even bigger role. Indeed, there are much larger treatment effects among women who have technicalknowledge and experience or male role models, even though the information does not impact their expectations ofearnings in male-dominated trades. The treatment is thus most effective among women who are already well positionedto cross over into male-dominated trades and can give greater weight to earning considerations when choosing atrade. The results indicate that this low-cost intervention can be a useful tool to encourage women to cross over tomore lucrative trades in which their presence has been limited, and thereby contribute to reducing the gender gapin earnings. There is also a high potential for interventions that would pair information on returns andtrade exposure.