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Transmitting Rights: Effective Cooperation, Inter-gender Contact, and Student Achievement

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  • Sultan Mehmood
  • Shaheen Naseer
  • Daniel L. Chen

Abstract

We provide experimental evidence of teacher-to-student transmission of gender attitudes in Pakistan. We randomly show teachers a pro-women's rights visual narrative. Treated teachers increase their and students' support for women's rights, unbiasedness in gender implicit association tests (IATs), and willingness to petition parliament for greater gender equality. Students improve coordination and cooperation with the opposite gender. Effects are larger when teachers teach a gender-rights curriculum. Mathematics achievement increases for classrooms assigned to form mixed-gender study groups treated with an intense program (visual narrative and curriculum), while absent in same-sex study groups. Gender attitudes are transmissible and cooperation improves student outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Sultan Mehmood & Shaheen Naseer & Daniel L. Chen, 2025. "Transmitting Rights: Effective Cooperation, Inter-gender Contact, and Student Achievement," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 107-130, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:107-30
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230620
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    1. Raj Chetty & John N. Friedman & Jonah E. Rockoff, 2014. "Measuring the Impacts of Teachers I: Evaluating Bias in Teacher Value-Added Estimates," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(9), pages 2593-2632, September.
    2. Briole, Simon, 2021. "Are girls always good for boys? Short and long term effects of school peers’ gender," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Sule Alan & Ceren Baysan & Mert Gumren & Elif Kubilay, 2021. "Building Social Cohesion in Ethnically Mixed Schools: An Intervention on Perspective Taking," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 136(4), pages 2147-2194.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K38 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Human Rights Law; Gender Law; Animal Rights Law
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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