The proposed research aimed to investigate the impact of the male breadwinner norm on women’s labor market outcomes in Bangladesh. The study assessed several mechanisms that could explain the take-up of sub-optimal job bundles to conform with the norm, including image concerns and bargaining power within households. The research was conducted through an online experiment in which male job seekers were offered a job opportunity and the option to refer their wives or other candidates. The experiment varied the relative wage, prestige, and/or observability of the jobs offered to measure the role of self-image concerns and increased bargaining power in the household associated with job prestige.
The research hoped to influence academic and policy discussions regarding the role of norms for gender inequality and provide evidence on potential directions for future research and policy interventions. The findings were expected to contribute to designing effective interventions to increase women’s income generation potential in Bangladesh and other contexts. dRi helped conduct this experiment where they screened job seekers for a job opportunity in an online survey. In the screening survey, respondents were offered the option to refer their spouse, a family member, or another person for the job opportunity. Respondents who chose to make a referral were presented with information about two separate jobs: a job for themselves and a job for the referral. The experiment aimed to test the hypothesis that men were more likely to apply and refer their spouse for the job opportunity if they were offered a job with a higher wage and higher prestige relative to the job offered to their spouse.
The experiment included three treatments that randomly varied the relative wage and prestige of the jobs offered and two treatments that offered separate windfall cash payments to the subject and their spouse, varying whether the money was paid to the subject’s account or two separate accounts. The experiment aimed to measure the role of self-image concerns and increased bargaining power in the household associated with job prestige. The respondents were recruited for one-day in-person research tasks at the Dhaka-based research firm Development Research Initiative (dRi).
Serial No: 247
Theme: Gender Rights and Violence
Research Method: Quantitative
Partner: PASCALINE DUPAS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS
Starting Year: 2023
Study Area: Dhaka
