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Female Role Models and Labor Force Participation: The Case of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

Author

Listed:
  • Margo Beck

    (World Wide Technology)

  • Sara LaLumia

    (Williams College)

Abstract

This paper investigates how social influences have contributed to growth in female labor force participation, documenting how the role models of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League impacted female labor market outcomes between 1940 and 1950. Using a difference-in-difference strategy, comparing cities with teams to geographically nearby cities without teams, we find that female labor force participation in cities with an AAGPBL team increased by 1.8% points relative to otherwise similar cities without a team, and female employment rates increased by a similar amount.

Suggested Citation

  • Margo Beck & Sara LaLumia, 2022. "Female Role Models and Labor Force Participation: The Case of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 48(4), pages 488-517, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:easeco:v:48:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1057_s41302-022-00219-w
    DOI: 10.1057/s41302-022-00219-w
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor force; Labor economic history;

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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