This study examines how parental religiosity influences children’s education. Using Turkish census data for primary-school completion outcomes of individuals born in 1924-1984 and within-year variations in fasting duration across provinces as a proxy, I find that a 30-minute increase in daily fasting during the enrollment year reduces primary school completion by 0.37 to 0.80 percentage points, with stronger effects for females. These results are not driven by income or teachers' beliefs. Cumulative exposure to Ramadan before school enrollment confirms these findings. Parental religiosity has consequences for gendered outcomes, including fertility and labor market participation.
This paper investigates the origins of the deep-rooted gender inequalities in Muslim countries by examining the effect of religiosity on female and male students' STEM achievements. Using Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) test scores of eighth-graders in Muslim countries and the idiosyncratic variation in the distance of their examination dates to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, I find that STEM performances of female students significantly worsen in the three months after Ramadan; on the contrary, the occurrence of Ramadan does not affect male students' test scores. The analysis of survey data indicates that these effects are due to increased religiosity and subsequent reinforcement of traditional gender norms among parents. I further provide evidence of increased gender stereotypes in the school context, proxied by higher salience of low self-confidence among girls and negative peer pressure on girls in the aftermath of Ramadan.
Presented at: 33rd European Association of Labor Economists; 3rd ASREC Graduate Student Workshops; 34th Annual Conference of European Society for Population Economics; 3rd Ph.D. Workshop in Economics at Collegio Carlo Alberto; #ASREC24hr; University of Utah; Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore