“Misperceived abilities and gender stereotypes within the household” project studies the roots of gender discrimination within households and aims at shedding light on how stereotypes limit women’s independence. The proposed project focuses on households in three districts of Bangladesh (Kushtia, Barisal and Noakhali) and investigates (i) whether women are discriminated against because they are deemed to lack the skills to make decisions or generate revenues; (ii) whether women have a low willingness to be more involved because they believe the stereotypes; (ii) whether correcting misperceptions removes gender stereotypes and improves women’s agency.
These hypotheses are tested by dRi-Geneva Graduate Institute collaboration through a lab experiment in the field with married couples recruited during a door-to-door survey. The door-to-door surveys were conducted to collect information on demographic characteristics of women and their cognitive abilities. Information was collected on gender stereotypes, social norms and household dynamics. The lab experiment consisted of an incentivized decision-making game based on the Raven test. Spouses played simultaneously, sitting in two separate rooms. They took allocation decisions, answered three sets of the Raven test and earned money for each correct answer they have given. Couples were randomly assigned to an information arm and a control arm. Throughout the game, the study team elicited individuals’ beliefs about their own and their spouse’s performance. In the information arm, the study team updated beliefs about women’s performance. The control arm received no information. The study team identified the impact of providing information on women’s abilities by looking at the allocation decisions of men and women in the treatment arm compared to those in the control arm. After the lab experiment, a phone follows up survey was conducted to collect the same information as in door-to-door surveys to measure the changes in outcomes following the lab experiment.
Serial No: 233
Theme: Gender Rights and Violence
Research Method: Qualitative
Partner: Geneva Graduate Institute
Starting Year: 2022
Study Area: Kushtia, Barisal and Noakhali
