The economic consequences of being widowed by war: A life-cycle perspective

Sebastian T. Braun and Jan Stuhler

Journal of Public Economics, 2024, vol. 239, issue C

Abstract: Despite millions of war widows worldwide, little is known about the economic consequences of being widowed by war. We use life history data from West Germany to show that war widowhood increased women’s employment immediately after World War II but led to lower employment rates later in life. War widows, therefore, carried a double burden of employment and childcare while their children were young but left the workforce when their children reached adulthood. We show that the design of compensation policies likely explains this counterintuitive life-cycle pattern and examine potential spillovers to the next generation.

Keywords: War widows; Labor market careers; Female labor force participation; World War II (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J20 N34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Related works:
Working Paper: The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective (2024)
Working Paper: The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective (2024)
Working Paper: The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:239:y:2024:i:c:s0047272724001774

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105241

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