Does making education more accessible also benefit girls in dowry systems? Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

In some regions of South Asia, girls may face educational disadvantages due to traditional norms surrounding dowries. These dowries can be large payments made by the bride’s family to the groom’s family, and may make investing in girls’ education less attractive. However, I find that providing free primary education to girls from different ethnic groups with varying traditional marriage practices had different effects. Girls from dowry systems were less likely to finish primary schooling, while girls from bride price systems gained more years of schooling and were more likely to complete primary schooling. This highlights the importance of considering cultural differences in policy interventions to promote educational attainment for all girls.