Mothers and sons: Preference formation and female labor force dynamics

Raquel Fernández, Alessandra Fogli, Claudia Olivetti

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    Abstract

    This paper argues that the growing presence of a new type of man - one brought up in a family in which the mother worked - has been a significant factor in the increase in female labor force participation over time. We present cross-sectional evidence showing that the wives of men whose mothers worked are themselves significantly more likely to work. We use variation in the importance of World War II as a shock to women's labor force participation - as proxied by variation in the male draft rate across U. S. states - to provide evidence in support of the intergenerational consequences of our propagation mechanism.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)1249-1299
    Number of pages51
    JournalQuarterly Journal of Economics
    Volume119
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Nov 2004

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Economics and Econometrics

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