Marcela Mello has been awarded a Fondecyt Initiation in Research Grant for her project entitled “Religious Mayors, School-Based Policies, and Teenage Pregnancy.” The research is co-authored with João Garcia (Universidad de Santiago de Chile, USACH) and examines the impact of electing mayors affiliated with Pentecostal parties on educational policies and adolescent reproductive outcomes.
The study analyzes close municipal elections held between 2008 and 2016 and follows cohorts of girls throughout their secondary school years. According to Mello, the study shows that municipal schools are 12 percentage points less likely to provide sexual education when Pentecostal mayors are elected. “In terms of reproductive health, the results indicate a 10% increase in teenage pregnancy rates, as well as higher rates of syphilis. The research also identifies long-term educational effects, with girls completing fewer years of schooling on average,” she explains.
The research identifies administrative control over municipal schools as the main mechanism behind these outcomes. Pentecostal mayors exert influence through the appointment of school principals—approximately 60% of principal positions are political appointments—and the study finds that politically appointed principals are more common under Pentecostal administrations. These changes primarily affect policy areas related to “moral behavior,” such as sexuality and drug use, rather than the general academic curriculum.
Reflecting on the broader relevance of the project, Mello notes: “Pentecostalism has been growing in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, and these groups are gaining increasing political influence. The research shows that when religious leaders come to power, their ideological commitments translate into concrete public policy changes that affect young people’s health, education, and life opportunities, especially those of young women.”
