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Off the books, away from the market: Clan culture and female labor force participation

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  • Huang, Feng
  • Ye, Haichun
  • Zhang, Jing

Abstract

This study examines the persistent impact of historical Chinese clan culture on contemporary female labor force participation. Using the hand-collected genealogy data from China, we find that traditional clan-based gender biases significantly suppress women's employment, with the husband's clan heritage strongly influencing the wife's work decisions. The gender bias embedded in Chinese clan culture is the primary driver linking clan heritage to reduced female labor force participation. While women from clan-oriented backgrounds exhibit labor market advantages, these are primarily driven by self-selection into the workforce rather than direct causal effects.

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  • Huang, Feng & Ye, Haichun & Zhang, Jing, 2025. "Off the books, away from the market: Clan culture and female labor force participation," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:89:y:2025:i:c:s1043951x24002013
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2024.102312
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Female labor force participation; Clan culture; Gender norms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General
    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East

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