Improving Girls' Access to Apprenticeship in Male-dominated Sectors in Benin

Last registered on March 07, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Improving Girls' Access to Apprenticeship in Male-dominated Sectors in Benin
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015499
Initial registration date
March 05, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 07, 2025, 8:17 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Mathilde Sage
Affiliation
UCLouvain
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Patrick Prémand
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Bruno Crépon
PI Affiliation
CREST - J-PAL
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-06-15
End date
2025-12-15
Keywords
Education, Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
Employment, Apprenticeship, Training, Vocational Training, Skills, Micro-and Small Enterprises, Field Experiment, Africa.
JEL code(s)
J16, J23, J24, O12, C93, J71
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Apprenticeship is the most common type of training for Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Girls' enrollment in apprenticeships is generally lower and is virtually nonexistent in male-dominated sectors. This sectoral segregation during training subsequently leads to women working in less profitable sectors, contributing to the gender income gap in the region. This study examines the determinants of the low demand for apprenticeships among young women and the limited matching between young women and firms in male-dominated sectors. To do so, we evaluate the impact of two treatment arms: (i) a program in which an NGO connects young women interested in enrolling in an apprenticeship in a male-dominated sector with master craftsmen who are willing to provide training in a safe environment, and (ii) the combination of this intermediation treatment with a subsidy to cover the young women's living expenses and potential apprenticeship costs. This design enables us to assess the relative contributions of two market failures: information asymmetries (Hardy and McCasland, 2023) and imperfect financial markets resulting in financial constraints (Heckman and Mosso, 2014; Crépond and Prémand, 2024).
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Crépon, Bruno, Patrick Prémand and Mathilde Sage. 2025. "Improving Girls' Access to Apprenticeship in Male-dominated Sectors in Benin ." AEA RCT Registry. March 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15499-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention includes two treatment arms: (i) an intermediation treatment between girls and master craftsmen in male dominated sectors, (ii) a combination of the intermediation treatment with a monthly subsidy.
The intermediation treatment is a program where an NGO connects girls willing to enroll in apprenticeships in male-dominated sectors with master craftsmen who have accepted to provide training to girls in a safe environment.
The second treatment combines the intermediation treatment with a monthly transfer (USD 55) conditional on the girls’ attendance in the apprenticeship. This transfer is intended to cover the girls’ living expenses as participating in an apprenticeship might require them to relocate and/or to forgo other economic activities. In addition, apprenticeship might involve costs such as registration and diploma fees, expenses for materials and uniforms.
Intervention Start Date
2023-12-15
Intervention End Date
2025-04-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We will measure various outcomes at the girl level:

(i) Participation to apprenticeship in a male-dominated sector: enrollment, apprenticeship duration, completion (obtention of the CQM diploma), earnings during the apprenticeship period; activities outside of the apprenticeship; hours worked; satisfaction about the apprenticeship;

(ii) Skills: type of tasks performed in the workshop, technical skills, business skills, soft skills

(iii) Labour market outcomes: type of occupation after apprenticeship (wage worker, self-employed, or apprentice); earnings for primary and secondary activity; type of task realized by youths in their primary occupation; hours worked; financial independence.

(iv) Life outcomes: mental health; aspirations, agency, marital status, age at marriage, number of children

(v) Norms and preferences: gender-related opinions


Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Among the 2,400 eligible girls—aged 14 to 20, from vulnerable households, not currently in an apprenticeship, and willing to enroll in a male-dominated sector—we randomly selected four groups of 600 girls. The randomization was stratified at the commune level to ensure that at least one girl per commune would benefit from the combined treatment. Two groups were assigned to the treatment arms (i) and (ii), while the remaining two groups served as the control group.
We will estimate the causal impact of each treatment arm by comparing the outcomes of the girls in each treatment group with those in the control group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
The randomization was done in office and was followed by a public lottery.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is the girl.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
2400 girls
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We stratified the sample at the commune level and randomly drew four groups among the 2400 eligible girls:

(i) treatment 1: 600 girls
(ii) treatment 2: 600 girls
(iii) control group: 1200 girls
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan