The Role of Gender and Family Norms on the COVID-19 Spread in Europe

Despina Gavresi, Anastasia Litina (), George Mavropoulos () and Sofia Tsitou ()
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George Mavropoulos: Department of Economics, University of Macedonia
Sofia Tsitou: Department of Economics, University of Ioannina

Discussion Paper Series from Department of Economics, University of Macedonia

Abstract: This paper explores the interplay between social norms i.e., attitudes on gender equality and strength of family ties, and the spread of COVID-19. To undertake our analysis we combine sub-national (Nuts 1 regions) data for the social norms from the Integrated Values Survey (IVS) from 1981 to 2019 and the spread of COVID-19 measured by the excess mortality rate in Nuts 1 European regions in 2020 and 2021. Exploiting regional variation, we empirically establish that in regions with norms favoring gender equality, the excess mortality associated with the spread of COVID-19 is lower. Our hypothesized underlying mechanism is that women respect social distancing more, thereby in a country where women enjoy more respect, the influence more strongly their families to do the same thus diminishing the virus diffusion. Concerning the strength of family times, we find that regions with stronger family ties are associated with a higher COVID-19 excess mortality rate, hinting to the higher involvement of the elderly in family affairs.

Keywords: COVID-19; Women Equality; Family Ties; Social Norms; Culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O4 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-06, Revised 2024-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec, nep-gen, nep-hea and nep-soc
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