Working Paper: NBER ID: w13179
Authors: Stefania Albanesi; Claudia Olivetti
Abstract: Until the early decades of the 20th century, women spent more than 60% of their prime- age years either pregnant or nursing. Since then, improved medical knowledge and obstetric practices reduced the time cost associated with women's reproductive role. The introduction of infant formula also reduced women's comparative advantage in infant care, by providing an effective breast milk substitute. Our hypothesis is that these developments enabled married women to increase their participation in the labor force, thus providing the incentive to invest in market skills, potentially narrowing gender earnings differentials. We document these changes and develop a quantitative model that aims to capture their impact. Our results suggest that progress in medical technologies related to motherhood was essential to generate the significant rise in the participation of married women between 1920 and 1960, in particular those with children. By enabling women to reconcile work and motherhood, these medical advancements laid the ground for the revolutionary change in women's economic role.
Keywords: gender roles; technological progress; labor force participation; medical advancements
JEL Codes: J13; J16; J2; J22; N3; O3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Advancements in medical technologies (O39) | Labor force participation of married women (D13) |
| Reduction in time costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery (J22) | Labor force participation of married women (D13) |
| Introduction of infant formula (L66) | Labor force participation of married women (D13) |
| Reduction in time costs associated with pregnancy and childbirth (J22) | Investments in market skills by women (J24) |
| Introduction of infant formula (L66) | Investments in market skills by women (J24) |