Essays in Development Economics

Abstract

<p>This dissertation considers the role gender plays in labor markets, household decision-making, and health in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p>The first chapter considers the impact of fast Internet access on employment outcomes and household dynamics. I find the introduction of fast Internet to sub-Saharan Africa significantly increased employment for males, but had little impact on female employment. In addition, it significantly increased perceived acceptability, among both genders, of domestic violence against women.</p><p>The second chapter considers the differential impact, by gender, of an experimental labor market intervention in South Africa, which measured skills of workseekers and provided a mechanism for workseekers to communicate their results to potential employers. I find that men experienced a larger effect of the intervention on employment outcomes than did women. This difference is largely explained by pre-existing differences between genders, rather than differential responses to treatment.</p><p>The third chapter considers the factors that contribute to female genital cutting (FGC) in Mali and tests various hypotheses to explain the persistence of the tradition. I find that maternal preference is pivotal in the decision to cut daughters. I also find that the marriage market hypothesis and the identity hypothesis of FGC decision-making are alone insufficient to explain persistence.</p>