On the doorstep of adulthood: Entrepreneurship and fertility of young women in Tanzania

Abstract We report results from a large-scale randomized controlled trial aimed at empowering young women during the transition from secondary school. The trial includes four school-based arms: economic empowerment, reproductive health empowerment, their combination, and a control group. The analysis draws on a rich dataset combining survey and laboratory measures collected over more than five years. The economic program increased self-employment and income, while the reproductive health program strengthened self-control and increased committed relationships. Both interventions also increased early pregnancy, which we attribute to positive income and relationship effects in a context characterized by high fertility and self-employment.