Research

Abstract: I study the impacts of raising the age of sexual consent, a legal framework designed to safeguard children from the risks associated with early sexual activity and exploitation. Using data from 20 Sub-Saharan African countries and an event study design, I find that increasing the age of consent significantly reduces sexual activity, pregnancy, and marriage among girls under the legal threshold, with effects persisting beyond the age of consent. These reductions are driven by behavioral adaptations, including temporary increases in contraceptive use, followed by sustained declines in sexual activity and a decrease in out-of-wedlock pregnancies linked to reductions in underage marriage. For boys, the reform leads to a reduction in sexual activity, but the effect is not persistent as they age. Notably, the law does not affect the rates of child sexual abuse, likely due to imperfect enforcement. I further argue that the gendered differences in the persistence of effects, along with heterogeneous responses to the laws, point to the role of legislation in reinforcing social norms surrounding children's sexuality.

 Presentations: SSE PhD Workshop (2024),  SUDSWEC Stockholm University (2024), ASWEDE Conference (2024), NPPS University of Copenhagen (2024, poster), Université Libre de Bruxelles (2025),  University of Essex Economics PhD Conference (2025), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2025, poster), OsloMet (2025), SSE Brown Bag (2025), University of British Columbia Dev/PE Brown Bag (2026)

Abstract: We examine how state-controlled media shapes gender norms by exploiting variation in exposure to Indonesia's TVRI during the New Order regime (1967–1998). The regime promoted State Ibuism, an ideology positioning women primarily as wives and mothers. Leveraging the staggered rollout of transmitters and terrain-driven signal variation, we find that television exposure significantly reduced female labor force participation while increasing the likelihood of women reporting housework as their primary activity. This decline reflects labor market withdrawal rather than sectoral upgrading. In contrast, male employment exhibited structural transformation from agriculture to modern sectors without significant exit. Despite potential income reductions from maternal market exit, child welfare improved. Higher television exposure increased school enrollment, reduced child labor, and improved early-childhood health outcomes. These findings likely suggest that the benefits of reallocating maternal time to domestic care outweigh the negative income effects. Our findings demonstrate how authoritarian regimes use mass media as instruments of social engineering to reshape gender relations, with lasting effects for children's welfare.

Presentations: SSE Speed Brown Bag (2025), University of Zurich (2025), ASWEDE Conference (2025), University of British Columbia Dev/PE Brown Bag  (2026)

Abstract: This study explores the impact of Islamic institutions on female marriage market outcomes in Indonesia, using the natural experiment created by the 1960 Basic Agrarian Law. The law’s attempt to expropriate land, with exemptions for Islamic charitable trusts (waqf), led to an increase in waqf resources, strengthening grassroots Islamic institutions. By employing a difference-in-discontinuity design, the study finds that stronger Islamic institutions delay the female age of marriage, increase the bride price, and promote positive assortative matching. Contrary to common beliefs that Islam hinders gender equality, these institutions appear to enhance marriage market efficiency and support women’s empowerment. The findings suggest that community-led Islamic institutions could play a crucial role in delaying marriage age and improving educational outcomes for women, highlighting the potential for collaboration with religious institutions in policy efforts to combat child marriage and promote gender equality. 

Presentations: Misum Affiliate Conference (2023), ASWEDE Conference (2023)