Can Role Models Influence Female Students’ Decision to Participate in the Labor Market? Evidence from a Field Experiment

Christina A. Martini and Viviana Urueña

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2025, vol. 73, issue 2, 875 - 907

Abstract: In this paper, we randomly assigned upper secondary school students to watch a role model or a placebo video. After video exposure, we gave female and male students the opportunity to apply for one of two types of jobs in our research team. We find that the female role model encourages students to apply for one of the jobs compared with the placebo. Treated students increase their performance in a lab task compared with students in the control. We find suggestive evidence that the role model videos increase female students’ aspirations and general self-efficacy beliefs relative to their female counterparts in the placebo condition.

Date: 2025
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