Women’s Empowerment in Zimbabwe: Examining the Role of Educational Reform

This study investigates the impact of education on women’s empowerment in Zimbabwe using data from the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey in 1999, 2005–6, 2010–11, and 2015. We use Zimbabwe’s 1980 expansion of secondary education as a natural experiment to explore its effects on various aspects of women’s empowerment, such as reproductive self-determination, household decision-making power, and attitudes towards and experiences of domestic violence. Results indicate that women affected by the reform received an average of 2.73 additional years of education compared to their peers. The impact is particularly significant for women in rural areas and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. One additional year of education resulted in a 0.43-year delay in first cohabitation, a 0.26-year delay in first birth, a 5 percentage point increase in household purchase decision-making, and a 1.2 percentage point increase in decision-making power regarding contraceptive use. Furthermore, there was a 4.1 percentage point decrease in agreement on beating by a partner is justified for any reason, a 3.7 percentage point reduction in agreement on beating is justified if a woman refuses to have sex with her partner, and a 0.6-percentage point decrease in the probability of experiencing unwanted sexual intercourse. The study remains robust through various checks. The mechanism is elucidated, demonstrating that secondary education reform significantly promoted women’s empowerment through improved access to information, assortative matching, and labor market involvement.