Measuring Social Norms around Women’s Work and Occupational Sex Segregation in Mozambique

Last registered on February 10, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Measuring Social Norms around Women’s Work and Occupational Sex Segregation in Mozambique
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017823
Initial registration date
February 02, 2026

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
February 10, 2026, 5:48 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
Claire Boxho
Affiliation
World Bank
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sreelakshmi Papineni
PI Affiliation
World Bank
PI Name
Abhilasha Sahay
PI Affiliation
World Bank

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-01-20
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
Norms
JEL code(s)
O12, O13, Q12, Q16
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Prevailing gender norms may discourage women from entering higher-paying, male-dominated sectors by imposing social stigma and family pressure. This study implements a lab-in-the-field experiment in Mozambique to measure these social constraints and to test whether exposure to motivational narratives can influence vocational preferences. The sample consists of married women eligible for a forthcoming vocational training program.

In the first stage, participants complete a structured hypothetical choice exercise in which they choose between female-dominated and male-dominated job options that differ only in income. The wage differential increases stepwise, allowing identification of a switching point that captures the implicit “social tax” associated with entering male-dominated activities. The exercise is conducted either individually with women or jointly with their husbands, enabling measurement of how the presence of the husband affects this social tax.

In the second stage, participants are randomly assigned to view a short motivational video featuring female role models in non-traditional sectors, either individually or jointly with the husband. Post-video outcomes include stated interest in vocational training options.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Boxho, Claire, Sreelakshmi Papineni and Abhilasha Sahay. 2026. "Measuring Social Norms around Women’s Work and Occupational Sex Segregation in Mozambique." AEA RCT Registry. February 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17823-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The study includes two sequential interventions implemented during a lab-in-the-field survey.

The first intervention is a structured hypothetical job choice exercise designed to elicit preferences over different types of economic activities. Participants are asked to choose between female-dominated and male-dominated job options that differ only in income, with all other job characteristics held constant and clearly stated. Depending on treatment assignment, the exercise is completed either individually by the woman or jointly by the woman and her husband, allowing comparison of decisions made alone versus within the household.

The second intervention is a short motivational video featuring women who have completed technical training, entered economic activities traditionally dominated by men, and operate successful businesses with family support. The video is informational and inspirational in nature and does not include promises of employment or material benefits. Exposure to the video occurs either individually or jointly with the husband, depending on treatment assignment, and a control group do not receive the video.
Intervention Start Date
2026-01-20
Intervention End Date
2026-02-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Individual social tax, joint (husband–wife) social tax, and the difference between joint and individual social tax associated with women’s entry into male-dominated sectors
2. Interest in vocational training in male-dominated sectors
3. Household decision-making power
4. Attitudes toward gender norms related to women’s work and economic roles
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Social tax = the income differential at which a respondent switches from a female-dominated to a male-dominated job in the hypothetical choice exercise. This outcome is measured through a structured hypothetical choice experiment between two different jobs, one traditionally male-dominated and one female-dominated.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study uses a lab-in-the-field experimental design embedded within a single tablet-based survey. Eligible women are identified through a listing exercise conducted by district focal points and are randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups prior to data collection.

Control (N=300): Measurement exercise alone, No video
T1 (N=300): Measurement exercise alone, Video
T2 (N=300): Measurement exercise with husband, No video
T3 (N=300): Measurement exercise with husband, Video

Stage 1: all participants complete a structured measurement exercise designed to elicit preferences over female-dominated versus male-dominated economic activities. This exercise is administered either individually to the woman or jointly to the woman and her husband, depending on treatment assignment.

Stage 2: a subset of participants is randomly assigned to view a short motivational video featuring women engaged in non-traditional economic activities. Video exposure occurs either individually or jointly with the husband. Control groups do not receive the video.


Following the interventions, separate exit modules are administered privately to the husband and to the wife to collect outcome measures.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done on computer and stratified by area, women’s age group, and education level.
Randomization Unit
Individual women
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
No clusters
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,200 women aged 18-35 and married located in the 3 districts of the study
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300 women
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Health Media Lab
IRB Approval Date
2026-01-20
IRB Approval Number
2479
Analysis Plan