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Unlocking young women’s potential? The impact of a low-cost career guidance program

Year: 2025

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Societal expectations and gender norms constrain young people’s career planning, particularly for girls, limiting the role of personal interests in skill-building decisions. This study evaluates a low-cost, 10-hour career exploration intervention through a pre-registered, school-level, clustered randomized controlled trial with over 6,000 primarily female students in urban India. The program improved future planning and increased the importance students placed on personal interests in career choices. However, there is no evidence of medium-term impacts on educational or skill-building investments. These findings suggest that while scalable interventions can shift aspirations and planning, structural barriers constrain longer-term behavioral change.

Source: Journal of Development Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103662

Authors: Ankush Asri, Viola Asri, Anke Hoeffler

Institutions: University of Konstanz, Chr. Michelsen Institute

Language: English

Topic: Career Development and Diversity

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Quality education, Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,590