Hybrid

Speaker: Volha Lazuka

Life-Cycle Effects of Comprehensive Sex Education

Abstract: Sex education can impact pupils’ sexual activity and convey social norms regarding family formation and responsibility, which can have significant consequences for their future careers. To investigate the life-cycle effects of social norm transmission, we draw on the introduction of comprehensive sex education in curriculum of Swedish primary schools during the 1940s-50s. Inspired by social-democratic values, this education taught students about abstinence, rational family planning choices, and the importance of taking social responsibility for their personal decisions. We apply a state-of-the-art estimator of the difference-in-differences method to various outcomes of men and women throughout the life cycle. We find that the reform has affected most intended outcomes for both genders, ultimately decreasing gender earnings inequality. The effects of the reform also extend to the following generation of girls, encouraging them to prioritize education over starting a family and choose a less stereotypical career. Our results suggest that social norms, internalized through school-based sex education, shape lifetime outcomes of individuals and their children in significant ways.