We Don’t Talk About Boys: An Experiment on Masculinity Norms in Brazil

Abstract

How do adolescents form their views about what is expected of their gender? This paper provides causal evidence that the lack of communication drives incorrect inferences about what their peers think regarding gender norms about men. I conduct a field experiment that encourages communication about masculinity norms among peers with 2,249 Brazilian teenagers in 22 schools. I show that a majority of male and female adolescents overestimate the share of classmates who hold traditional views of masculinity with respect to emotional vulnerability and the use of violence. I then randomly assign adolescents to a structured discussion group to learn peers’ opinions about these masculinity beliefs, or to a control discussion. The masculinity discussion groups reduce misperceptions about classmates’ beliefs by at least 50% in the short run. The effects are similar whether students self-selected into speaking, or were randomly selected. In the medium run, effects persist, indicating that there is no persuasion between students once the discussion is over. My findings suggest that adolescents update their beliefs about social norms by learning their peers' opinions.