Changing gender norms: evidence from a randomised control trial in Haryana

Adolescents whose schools ran Breakthrough's Taaron ki Toli programme shifted towards more gender equitable attitudes, a randomised controlled trial in Haryana, India finds. The effects of the programme are as large as growing up with more progressive parents.

Taaron ki Toli ('cluster of stars') is a three year school programme in Haryana, India. It's run by the human rights organisation Breakthrough for students in classes 6 to 9 in government schools.

Trained facilitators visit schools every two to three weeks. They run 45 minute sessions on gender identity, stereotypes and discrimination. Sessions also build skills like communication, negotiation and leadership. Students take part in a youth club, school campaigns and wider outreach to families and communities.

This report presents the evidence from a randomised controlled trial evaluating the programme by J-PAL South Asia. It covered 314 government schools and almost 15,000 students, across four Haryana districts with some of India's most skewed student gender ratios. Schools were randomly assigned to receive the programme or not. Students were surveyed before and after, using direct questions and an implicit association test.

The evaluation found the programme improved gender attitudes by 0.2 standard deviations. That's comparable to having parents who are a full standard deviation more gender equitable. Gender-equitable behaviour also improved, more so among boys than girls. The authors link this to extra barriers that limit girls' ability to act on changed attitudes. Aspirations changed far less, and household chores barely shifted at all.

Key messages

• A three year school-based curriculum delivered by trained facilitators shifted adolescents' gender attitudes by 0.2 standard deviations, an effect comparable to having parents who are a full standard deviation more gender equitable. The intervention combined teacher training, in-class sessions, a youth club, school campaigns and community outreach, rather than classroom content alone.
• Gender equitable behaviour improved, with a larger shift among boys than girls, suggesting girls face more barriers to acting on changed attitudes.
• Attitudes towards women's paid employment and education shifted the most; attitudes tied to fertility and family decision making changed much less.
• Household chore distribution and family decision making, which depend on adults, showed almost no measurable change over the programme period.