Work

Wheels of Power: Can Free Bicycles for Schoolgirls Free Their Mothers?

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: We study whether a social program to facilitate girls’ schooling in India increases the autonomy of mothers and other female family members. The program gives every girl in grade 9 a cash amount to purchase a bicycle. This targeted in-kind provision has the effect of lowering the price of educating girls. It also signals the worth of young women. We find a strong empowerment effect on older female family members. The effect is strongest in areas where the program has the biggest impact on girls’ schooling, suggesting that it is an indirect outcome of targeting benefits toward schoolgirls.

Source: Economic Development and Cultural Change

DOI: 10.1086/722053

Authors: Anders Kjelsrud, Shabana Mitra, Karl Moene

Institutions: OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, University of Oslo, Shiv Nadar University, Shiv Nadar University, Chennai

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, No poverty, Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche