Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15077
Authors: James Fenske; Bishnupriya Gupta; Song Yuan
Abstract: How did the 1918 influenza pandemic affect female labor force participation in India over the short run and the medium run? We use an event-study approach at the district level and four waves of decadal census data in order to answer this question. We find that districts most adversely affected by influenza mortality saw a temporary increase in female labor force participation in 1921, an increase that was concentrated in the service sector. By 1931, this increase had been reversed. We find suggestive evidence that distress labor supply by widows and rising wages help account for these results.
Keywords: female labour force participation; cultural norms; demographic shocks
JEL Codes: J11; J21
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Influenza mortality (I12) | Female labor force participation (FLFP) (J21) |
| Influenza mortality (I12) | FLFP in the service sector (J29) |
| Temporary increase in FLFP in 1921 (N12) | Reversal of FLFP by 1931 (N13) |
| Loss of male relatives (J12) | Distress labor supply from widows (J19) |
| Rising wages (J39) | Increase in FLFP (J39) |
| Influenza pandemic (F44) | Male labor force participation (J49) |