Description:

Erin Kelley (University of Chicago): The Household at Work: A Field Experiment in the Rohingya Refugee Camps

Abstract: We use a randomized control trial to examine how employment impacts the household. Our study includes 2,513 households in the world’s largest refugee camp, where we 1) randomly assign either the husband or wife to an employment intervention, 2) interview both partners, and 3) assess outcomes beyond the financial, including psychosocial, power and violence. Our findings reveal that employment affects spouses in ways the employed partner may not directly perceive, with spillover effects varying based on which spouse receives the job. When men are employed, both they and their wives report improved psychosocial wellbeing, and women experience reduced IPV. When women are employed we observe positive, though not decisive, shifts in social norms. These results emphasize the importance of understanding employment as a social, not just individual, phenomenon. They also highlight the need for complementary interventions to balance immediate well-being with long-term changes in norms.