On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough

Alberto Alesina, Paola Giuliano and Nathan Nunn

Scholarly Articles from Harvard University Department of Economics

Abstract: The study examines the historical origins of existing cross-cultural differences in beliefs and values regarding 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 of gender norms. We find that, consistent with existing hypotheses, the descendants of societies that traditionally practiced plough agriculture today have less equal gender norms, measured using reported gender-role attitudes and female participation in the workplace, politics and entrepreneurial activities. Our results hold looking across countries, across districts within countries, and across ethnicities within districts. To test for the importance of cultural persistence, we examine the children of immigrants living in Europe and the United States. We find that even among these individuals, all born and raised in the same country, those with a heritage of traditional plough use exhibit less equal beliefs about gender roles today.

Date: 2013
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Published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics

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Related works:
Journal Article: On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough (2013)
Working Paper: ON THE ORIGINS OF GENDER ROLES: WOMEN AND THE PLOUGH (2012)
Working Paper: On the origins of gender roles: women and the plough (2011)
Working Paper: On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough (2011)
Working Paper: On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hrv:faseco:33077826

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