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Gender: An Historical Perspective

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  • Giuliano, Paola

    (University of California, Los Angeles)

Abstract

Social attitudes toward women vary significantly across societies. This chapter reviews recent empirical research on various historical determinants of contemporary differences in gender roles and gender gaps across societies, and how these differences are transmitted from parents to children and therefore persist until today. We review work on the historical origin of differences in female labor-force participation, fertility, education, marriage arrangements, competitive attitudes, domestic violence, and other forms of difference in gender norms. Most of the research illustrates that differences in cultural norms regarding gender roles emerge in response to specific historical situations, but tend to persist even after the historical conditions have changed. We also discuss the conditions under which gender norms either tend to be stable or change more quickly.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuliano, Paola, 2017. "Gender: An Historical Perspective," IZA Discussion Papers 10931, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10931
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cultural transmission; historical persistence; gender;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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