The Demographic Transition and the Sexual Division of Labor

Rodrigo R. Soares () and Bruno L. S. Falcão

Journal of Political Economy, 2008, vol. 116, issue 6, pages 1058-1104

Abstract: This paper presents a theory in which increases in female labor force participation and reductions in the gender-wage gap are generated as part of a single process of demographic transition, initially characterized by reductions in mortality and fertility. The paper suggests a relationship between gains in life expectancy and changes in the role of women in society that has not been identified before in the literature. Mortality reductions affect the incentives of individuals to invest in human capital and to have children, with implications for female labor force participation and the wage differential between men and women. The paper also presents some empirical evidence to support the predictions of the theory. (c) 2008 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved..

Date: 2008

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/596102 link to full text (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: The Demographic Transition and the Sexual Division of Labor (2006)
Working Paper: The Demographic Transition and the Sexual Division of Labor (2007)
Working Paper: The Demographic Transition and the Sexual Division of Labor (2006)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucp:jpolec:v:116:y:2008:i:6:p:1058-1104

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JPE/order1.html

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Political Economy is edited by Steven D. Levitt, MONIKA PIAZZESI, CANICE PRENDERGAST and ROBERT SHIMER

More articles in Journal of Political Economy from University of Chicago Press
Address: The University of Chicago Press, Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005 Chicago, IL 60637
Series data maintained by Christopher F. Baum ().