FAME: Female Access to Male-dominated Employment

In partnership with a private vocational institute in Dakar, Senegal, researchers will conduct a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of expanding vocational training (VT) opportunities for women in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as mechanics and electricity. The institute currently serves predominantly male students, but there is strong interest in increasing the enrollment of female students.

Focus group discussions and descriptive data suggest there is pent-up demand among women for such training. However, both financial and non-financial barriers may limit participation. The ability to pay is heterogeneous, and additional non-financial constraints include concerns about employment prospects, balancing work with family responsibilities, and fears that entering male-dominated sectors could reduce marriage prospects.

To address these barriers, the intervention includes two components: (i) scholarships for women to enroll in VT programs, and (ii) information on the experiences of previous female students, particularly in relation to non-financial concerns. Researchers will employ the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) method to measure willingness to pay (WTP) and will examine how different subsidy levels influence participation and completion rates, as well as how different information affects enrollment.

The training program lasts three months, includes official government certification, and provides job placement support. The RCT will involve approximately 800 women (400 in the treatment group and 400 in the control group) and will be evaluated over 18 months.

This study aims to assess how vocational training for women in male-dominated fields influences socio-economic outcomes such as labour market participation, attitudes toward women’s work, women’s perceived marriage prospects, and their aspirations regarding fertility and family formation. By focusing on young women entering the labor market, the study will provide novel evidence on how access to better-paying, non-traditional jobs may reshape women’s expectations about how work and family fit together. The findings will contribute to evidence on effective strategies for shifting gender norms, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and designing scalable, gender-inclusive labour market policies. Results will be shared with local stakeholders, project partners, and policymakers.