The Legacy of the Missing Men: The Long-Run Impact of World War I on Female Labor Force Participation

Victor Gay ()

No 21-120, IAST Working Papers from Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST)

Abstract: This article explores the pathways that underlie the diffusion of women’s participation in the labor force across generations. I exploit a severe exogenous shock to the sex ratio, World War I in France, which generated a large inflow of women in the labor force after the war. I show that this shock to female labor transmitted to subsequent generations until today. Three mechanisms of intergenerational transmission account for this result: parental transmission, transmission through marriage, and transmission through local social interactions. Beyond behaviors, the war also permanently altered beliefs toward the role of women in the labor force.

Keywords: Female labor force participation; World War I; Sex ratio; Intergenerational transmission; Gender norms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-01-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-gro, nep-his and nep-soc
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Legacy of the Missing Men: The Long-Run Impact of World War I on Female Labor Force Participation (2021)
Working Paper: The Legacy of the Missing Men: The Long-Run Impact of World War I on Female Labor Force Participation (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tse:iastwp:125086

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