Tackling Women’s Unemployment: Evidence from an Online Jobs Experiment in Bangladesh

Mohammad Raied Arman, Anindita Bhattacharjee, Narayan Das, Mohima Gomes and Sakib Mahmood

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2026, vol. 75, issue 1, 367 - 399

Abstract: In developing countries, cultural barriers often limit women’s movement outside the household. With the advantage of remote work and flexible hours, the online gig economy offers a promising avenue. In this randomized controlled trial, we train women on work-from-home digital jobs and estimate its effect on their labor market outcomes. Intention-to-treat results show that women in the treatment group are 10 percentage points (18%) more likely to be employed, with a corresponding increase in hours worked by 27% and income by 38%. The benefit/cost ratio for the program is estimated at 3.01, indicating considerable benefits from the program compared with costs.

Date: 2026
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