Econ PhD Student Khanna Thesis on Menarche and Schooling Appears in Ideas for India.

Recent research by GU Economics PhD student Madhulika Khanna appears in the December edition of the blog Ideas for India. The article, based on Khanna’s PhD thesis, shows that onset of menses before age 12 causes a 13% decrease in female school enrollment rates in India. Her research shows that healthier girls have higher learning outcomes at age 12, but they also start menstruating earlier. Consequently, healthier girls are more likely to drop out of school. Ironically, their initial health advantage over other girls in their cohort disappears. More details can be found here.