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The Intergenerational Transmission Of Gender Role Attitudes And Its Implications For Female Labor Force Participation

Author

Listed:
  • Francis Vella

    (Georgetown University)

  • Lídia Farré

    (Universidad de Alicante)

Abstract

Using a sample of mother-child pairs from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 we explore the intergenerational transmission of a social norm regarding women¿s roles and examine its implications for the labor market behavior of females. We find that a mother¿s attitudes towards working women have a statistically significant effect on those of her children. Furthermore we find that the component of this social norm that is correlated with the individual¿s mother¿s work behavior during that individual¿s youth not only affects the labor market force participation decision of a female individual, but also has an equally strong association with that of the wife of a male individual. The findings indicate that cultural transmission contributes to the intergenerational similarity in the work behavior of females.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis Vella & Lídia Farré, 2007. "The Intergenerational Transmission Of Gender Role Attitudes And Its Implications For Female Labor Force Participation," Working Papers. Serie AD 2007-23, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    • Handle: RePEc:ivi:wpasad:2007-23
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    intergenerational cultural transmission; gender role attitudes; female labor force participation.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

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