Working Paper: NBER ID: w12888
Authors: Raquel Fernandez
Abstract: This paper discusses some recent advances in the area of culture and economics and examines the effect of culture on a key economic outcome: female labor supply. To separate the effect of market variables and institutions from culture, I use an epidemiological approach, studying second-generation American women. I use both female LFP and attitudes in the women's country of ancestry as cultural proxies and show that both cultural proxies have quantitatively significant effects on women's work outcomes. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future empirical and theoretical research topics in this area.
Keywords: Culture; Female Labor Supply; Economic Outcomes
JEL Codes: J12; J21; Z1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Having a working mother (J12) | Likelihood that a man's spouse will work (D13) |
| Labor force participation rates of women's countries of ancestry (J49) | Women's work outcomes in the U.S. (J79) |
| Attitudes towards women's work in the country of ancestry (J16) | Women's work outcomes in the U.S. (J79) |