Education, Marriage, and Fertility: Long-Term Evidence from a Female Stipend Program in Bangladesh

In 1994, Bangladesh introduced the Female Secondary School Stipend Program that made secondary education free for rural girls. This paper examines the long-term effects of the stipend program on education, marriage, fertility, and labor market outcomes of women. We find that the stipend increased ye...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic development and cultural change 2018-01, Vol.66 (2), p.383-415
Main Authors: HAHN, YOUJIN, ISLAM, ASADUL, NUZHAT, KANTI, SMYTH, RUSSELL, YANG, HEE-SEUNG
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autonomy
Children
Children & youth
Childrens health
Clinical outcomes
Decision making
Education
Educational programs
Empowerment
Females
Fertility
Girls
Health problems
Health services
Health status
Husbands
Informal economy
Labor market
Long term
Marriage
Mate selection
Medical decision making
Occupations
Rural communities
Rural schools
Secondary education
Sovereignty
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In 1994, Bangladesh introduced the Female Secondary School Stipend Program that made secondary education free for rural girls. This paper examines the long-term effects of the stipend program on education, marriage, fertility, and labor market outcomes of women. We find that the stipend increased years of education for eligible girls by 14%–25%. These girls were more likely to get married later and have fewer children. They also had more autonomy in making decisions about household purchases, health care, and visiting relatives. They were more likely to work in the formal sector than the agricultural or informal sector. Eligible women were likely to marry more educated husbands who had better occupations and were closer in age to their own. Their children’s health outcomes also improved. These results imply that school-based stipend programs can increase female empowerment through positive effects on schooling and marriage market outcomes over the long term.
ISSN:0013-0079
1539-2988
DOI:10.1086/694930