Effect of Female Politicians on Postprimary Education and Intergenerational Education Spending

Abstract

This paper studies whether exposure to female politicians during adolescence affects postprimary education, including a longer-term intergenerational impact in India. Using close mixed-gender elections won by women as an instrument for the election of female legislators, I find that female politicians increase the likelihood of urban women completing higher secondary schooling. Further, exposure leads rural women to spend more on their children’s education years later, particularly in households with more girls, participate more in household decision making, and exhibit a decline in son preference. Given the pro-male bias in educational expenditures in rural households, the results underscore the importance of exposure to more gender-equal settings during adolescence in mitigating such biases.