Essays on social norms, gender, and development

This dissertation contains three self-contained essays. The first chapter studies how collective action can reshape social norms even when formal laws remain unchanged. Set in Iran following the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, it examines whether the public exposure of wide spread opposition to the mandatory hijab law altered women’s compliance with the law, their bargaining position within the household, and their labor market outcomes. The findings show that non-compliance increased sharply and persistently in its aftermath, and that women’s bargaining position within the household strengthened in response to protest exposure. The second chapter examines how positive labor demand shocks may affect schooling outcomes. Set in sub-Saharan Africa, it investigates how the expan sion of artisanal gold mining affected schooling decisions among children and young adults. The findings reveal that the emergence of local earning opportunities can pull children out of school, with effects that persist well into adulthood. The third chapter studies how institutional restrictions on visible religious iden tity can distort educational investment.