Norms Behind Closed Doors: A Field Experiment on Gender Norm Misperceptions and Maternal Employment Decisions in Couples

Marie Boltz, Monserrat Bustelo, Ana María Díaz and Agustina Suaya

Working Papers of BETA from Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg

Abstract: We study whether pluralistic ignorance about societal and spousal support for maternal employment sustains gender gaps in women’s labour-market outcomes. Using a representative sample of 1,732 cohabiting couples with young children in Bogotá, we document near-universal first-order support for working mothers but substantial underestimation of others’ support, especially that of fathers, and frequent misperceptions of the partner’s views. We then implement a randomised information intervention that delivers personalised feedback on prevailing local attitudes toward maternal employment. The intervention narrows key second-order belief gaps about community and spousal support, while leaving first-order attitudes essentially unchanged. Treated men are more likely than control men to nominate their wife rather than themselves for a career-building course. One to two months later, treated women report more intensive job search and treated men place greater weight on work–family balance. Effects are concentrated among women who are already active in the labour market, underscoring both the potential and the limits of norm-correcting information in a context with high support for women’s work but large misperceptions

Keywords: Gender norms; Female Employment; Pluralistic ignorance; RCT. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D91 J16 J21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2026-08

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