Working Paper: NBER ID: w17098
Authors: Alberto F. Alesina; Paola Giuliano; Nathan Nunn
Abstract: This paper seeks to better understand the historical origins of current differences in norms and beliefs about the appropriate role of women in society. We test the hypothesis that traditional agricultural practices influenced the historical gender division of labor and the evolution and persistence of gender norms. We find that, consistent with existing hypotheses, the descendants of societies that traditionally practiced plough agriculture, today have lower rates of female participation in the workplace, in politics, and in entrepreneurial activities, as well as a greater prevalence of attitudes favoring gender inequality. We identify the causal impact of traditional plough use by exploiting variation in the historical geo-climatic suitability of the environment for growing crops that differentially benefited from the adoption of the plough. Our IV estimates, based on this variation, support the findings from OLS. To isolate the importance of cultural transmission as a mechanism, we examine female labor force participation of second-generation immigrants living within the US.
Keywords: Gender Roles; Agricultural Practices; Cultural Norms
JEL Codes: D03; J16; N30
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Cultural heritage (Z10) | Contemporary beliefs and values (A13) |
| Traditional plough use (Q15) | Contemporary gender norms (J16) |
| Traditional plough use (Q15) | Female labor force participation (J21) |
| Traditional plough use (Q15) | Gender inequality attitudes (J16) |