Education, marriage, and banning female genital cutting: evidence from Benin

Abstract Using the 2003 ban of female genital cutting in Benin as a natural experiment, I estimate the effect of the ban on women’s human capital accumulation. The ban decreases the likelihood of a woman undergoing genital cutting despite inconsistent enforcement. Banning female genital cutting has a counter-intuitive effect on women’s education. A difference-in-differences estimation indicates that the ban decreases women’s years of education, the probability of completing primary school, and the probability of starting secondary school. I show that the decrease in educational outcomes is accompanied by an increase in marriage and increased spousal match quality. The negative effect on women’s education dissipates following the implementation of free primary education in Benin.