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Higher education expansion and gender norms: evidence from China

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  • Wei Si

    (ShanghaiTech University)

Abstract

This paper explores whether the expansion of higher education can influence attitudes regarding gender norms. I evaluate the impact of China’s higher education expansion since 1999. The results show that the reform has significantly increased higher educational attainment for both women and men. However, women’s progressive views on gender roles are negatively affected following the expansion. The erosion of women’s egalitarian ideology can be attributed to the findings that women’s opportunities in the labor market are worsening relative to those of men. The results are significantly driven by married women and people who live in areas with a high male-to-female sex ratio. Practical conditions in the labor market and at home may adversely affect women’s ability to fulfill egalitarian gender roles.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei Si, 2022. "Higher education expansion and gender norms: evidence from China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(4), pages 1821-1858, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:35:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-022-00888-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-022-00888-z
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    2. Zhu, Mengbing & Xing, Chunbing & Li, Yi, 2023. "Husbands' wages and married women's labor supply in urban China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Zhang, Lifang & Zhu, Jiusheng, 2024. "Can higher education improve egalitarian gender role attitudes? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. Bansak, Cynthia & Dziadula, Eva & Wang, Sophie Xuefei, 2024. "How China's "Later, Longer, Fewer" Campaign Extends Life Expectancy: A Study of Intergenerational Support for Elderly Parents," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1403, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Wang, Ruiyu & Shi, Jinchuan & Ye, Bing, 2022. "Can robots reshape gender role attitudes?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Higher education expansion; Gender-role attitudes; Gender inequality; Labor market; Marriage market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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