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Gender equality in Asia and Europe during the 20th century: The role of socialism

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  • Jung, Sophia
  • Baten, Jörg

Abstract

Whether socialism improved gender equality, or whether the double-burden effect of socialism lowered gender equality, is an unresolved debate. A novel indicator allows to address this question for 88 countries during the 1910s to 1980s period: the adjusted height gap between males and females. Both biological and economic determinants of height gaps need to be considered. The proposed measure is validated through comparisons with relative life expectancies and the Gender Development Index (GDI), demonstrating its utility for tracing gender equality trends. Regression analysis reveals a significant relationship between socialism and improved gender equality within Europe and Asia. The results are confirmed by comparing them to gender equality in education. Robustness checks using staggered Difference-in-Differences methods and instrumental variable estimation suggest a robust and consistently positive relationship between socialism and gender equality.

Suggested Citation

  • Jung, Sophia & Baten, Jörg, 2025. "Gender equality in Asia and Europe during the 20th century: The role of socialism," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 490-510.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:53:y:2025:i:2:p:490-510
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2025.03.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Anthropometric research; Economic development; Education; Gender equality; Health; Height; Regime types; Religion; Socialism; Son bias;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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