Legal Bans, Female Genital Cutting, and Education: Evidence from Senegal

Abstract A law that banned the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) in Senegal in 1999 reduced its prevalence and increased educational investments in girls. These results are not driven by mechanisms like health, broader changes in empowerment, or child marriage. Suggestive evidence indicates that results could be driven by some parents of future brides reacting to the increase in the cost of FGC caused by the law by abandoning this practice and investing in their daughter’s education to compensate for smaller bride prices among uncut women.