Child Marriage Law, Gender Norms and Marriage Customs

摘要: The negative welfare consequences of child marriage are well established, but the phenomenon is still ubiquitous in developing countries, where one three girls married before age 18. Although most countries have a legal minimum set at 18 years, practice determined by social norms. In this paper, we test hypothesis that formal laws can influence norms – even when not enforced. We do administering randomized video-based information treatment accelerates knowledge transmission about new law Bangladesh which contains separate progressive and regressive components. find evidence our treatments led to change participants’ own attitudes behaviour (including reported regarding appropriate willingness contribute charity campaigns against marriage), did substantially their beliefs or practices prevalent community. use these findings distinguish between alternative hypotheses for how may behaviour, arguing they consistent with “focal point” theory “whistle-blowing”, inconsistent having an “expressive effect”.