In lower-income countries, women tend to have lower labor supply and are more likely to work in informal jobs compared to men. To address this issue, it is not enough to simply improve women’s access to formal wage employment, since this type of employment is often characterized by low take-up and high turnover rates—perhaps because wage jobs are less easily coordinated within social networks. Our project examines whether social networks—and in particular, the ability to commute together—can improve these employment outcomes. In two field experiments in urban Côte d’Ivoire, we offered jobs to prospective workers, varying whether their network members would also receive a job, and whether this job would allow them to work and commute together. Both jobs paid roughly twice the amount focal workers were earning at baseline. Our experimental design, supplemented by additional heterogeneity and network analysis as well as qualitative work, allows us to pinpoint the primary mechanism behind these effects and to identify any gender differences.
