Drivers of Change: Employment Responses to the Lifting of the Saudi Female Driving Ban

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2025
Volume: 115
Issue: 9
Pages: 3248-71

Authors (4)

Chaza Abou Daher (not in RePEc) Erica Field (not in RePEc) Kendal Swanson (not in RePEc) Kate Vyborny (Duke University)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We conduct a field experiment to quantify the impact of the lifting of the Saudi women's driving ban on women's employment by randomizing rationed spaces in driver's training. Treated women are 41 percent more likely to be employed yet are 19 percent less likely to be able to make purchases without family permission. Patterns of heterogeneous treatment effects reveal that these divergent impacts of access to driving are experienced by distinct subgroups of women. The results underscore the importance of intrahousehold responses that can counteract legal gains in women's freedoms.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:115:y:2025:i:9:p:3248-71
Journal Field
General
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-29