Syrian Refugees and Gender Inequalities Within Households: Evidence from Turkey

This paper uses data from the Turkish Household Labour Force Survey (2005–2020) to examine how Syrian refugee inflows affect gender inequalities within households. Employing a shift-share IV strategy based on the historical share of Arabic-speaking populations in Turkey in 1965, we find that increased refugee inflows are linked to greater intra-family gender inequality. We find a sizeable effect, which is closely intertwined with family formation. When both spouses work, a 10% rise in the stock of refugees may lead to between 0.8% and 3.4% increase in the gender productivity penalty within households with at least one child, while no effect is observed in childless families. These findings suggest that the motherhood channel undermines the labor market position of married native women in response to external labor supply shock induced by refugee migration. Finally, our analysis highlights the importance of sectoral characteristics, differences in education levels, and cultural factors in shaping gender specific competition and inequalities within the household.