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Gender Bias in Education: the Role of Inter‐household Externality, Dowry and other Social Institutions

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  • Sajal Lahiri
  • Sharmistha Self

Abstract

We analyze gender bias in school enrollment by developing a two‐period model where women become part of extended families of their in‐laws. Each family decides how many sons and daughters are sent to school and thus become skilled. Gender bias occurs due to failure of the families to internalize inter‐household externalities. “Groom‐specific” dowry worsens the situation. Under “bride‐specific” dowry, bias exists if and only if the skill premium in the labor market is bigger than that in the marriage market. A specific discriminatory “food‐for‐education” policy is shown to reduce bias, but increase total enrollment.

Suggested Citation

  • Sajal Lahiri & Sharmistha Self, 2007. "Gender Bias in Education: the Role of Inter‐household Externality, Dowry and other Social Institutions," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 591-606, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:11:y:2007:i:4:p:591-606
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9361.2007.00387.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Agénor, Pierre-Richard & Canuto, Otaviano & da Silva, Luiz Pereira, 2014. "On gender and growth: The role of intergenerational health externalities and women's occupational constraints," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 132-147.
    2. Maertens, Annemie, 2013. "Social Norms and Aspirations: Age of Marriage and Education in Rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-15.
    3. Alexander Stimpfle & David Stadelmann, 2016. "Does Central Europe Import the Missing Women Phenomenon?," CREMA Working Paper Series 2016-04, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    4. Tanu Gupta & A. Ganesh Kumar, 2020. "Structural equation approach to modelling social norms in female education: A Case study of India," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2020-32, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    5. Branisa, Boris & Klasen, Stephan & Ziegler, Maria, 2013. "Gender Inequality in Social Institutions and Gendered Development Outcomes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 252-268.
    6. Jafarey, S. & Mainali, R. M. & Montes-Rojas, G., 2014. "The Anticipation Effect of Marriage on Female Education: Theory and Evidence from Nepal," Working Papers 15/12, Department of Economics, City University London.
    7. Rubiana Chamarbagwala & Martin Ranger, 2006. "India's Missing Women: Disentangling Cultural, Political and Economic Variables," CAEPR Working Papers 2006-021, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Department of Economics, Indiana University Bloomington.
    8. Sushobhan Mahata & Rohan Kanti Khan & Soumyajit Mandal, 2023. "Dowry and Female Education: A Theoretical Evaluation (Article)," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 62(1), pages 41-59.
    9. Self, Sharmistha & Grabowski, Richard, 2009. "Modernization, inter-caste marriage, and dowry: An analytical perspective," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 69-76, January.
    10. Jacob, Arun, 2016. "Gender Bias in Educational Attainment in India : The Role of Dowry Payments," MPRA Paper 76338, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Rubiana Chamarbagwala, 2011. "Sibling composition and selective gender-based survival bias," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 24(3), pages 935-955, July.
    12. Saqib Jafarey & Ram Mainali & Gabriel Montes‐Rojas, 2020. "Age at marriage, social norms, and female education in Nepal," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 878-909, August.
    13. Jafarey, Saqib & Maiti, Dibyendu, 2015. "Glass slippers and glass ceilings: An analysis of marital anticipation and female education," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 45-61.

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