In the News: Benefits of Banning the Veil in French Schools

Effects of banning the Islamic veil in public schools, French policy improved Muslim girls’ educational outcomes, IZA Newsroom, 2019-11-14.

High school graduation rates improve for Muslim girls

In particular, comparing women with and without a Muslim background shows a marked increase in the proportion of high school graduates in the Muslim group for cohorts born in 1981 and after, namely for cohorts who reached puberty (and the age of wearing the veil) just after the 1994 circular.

A comparison of men with different religious backgrounds shows no similar increase in the proportion of high school graduates in the Muslim group for cohorts born in 1981 and after, consistent with the assumption that the increase observed for women is driven by a policy targeting female students.

See also:

• Behind the Veil: The Effect of Banning the Islamic Veil in Schools, Éric Maurin, Nicolás Navarrete H., IZA Institute of Labor Economics, 2019-09.