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Immigration, Female Labour Supply and Local Cultural Norms

Author

Listed:
  • Jessen, Jonas

    (WZB - Social Science Research Center Berlin)

  • Schmitz, Sophia

    (Federal Institute for Population Research)

  • Weinhardt, Felix

    (European University Viadrina, Frankfurt / Oder)

Abstract

We study the local evolution of female labour supply and cultural norms in West Germany in reaction to the sudden presence of East Germans who migrated to the West after reunication. These migrants grew up with high rates of maternal employment, whereas West German families mostly followed the traditional breadwinner-housewife model. We find that West German women increase their labour supply and that this holds within households. We provide additional evidence on stated gender norms, West-East friendships, intermarriage, and child care infrastructure. The dynamic evolution of the effects on labour supply is best explained by local cultural learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessen, Jonas & Schmitz, Sophia & Weinhardt, Felix, 2023. "Immigration, Female Labour Supply and Local Cultural Norms," IZA Discussion Papers 16428, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16428
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    Cited by:

    1. Jessen, Jonas & Schweighofer-Kodritsch, Sebastian & Weinhardt, Felix & Berkes, Jan, 2023. "Separate Housework Spheres," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277659, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Yvonne Giesing & Björn Kauder & Lukas Mergele & Niklas Potrafke & Panu Poutvaara, 2024. "Moving Out of the Comfort Zone: How Cultural Norms Affect Attitudes toward Immigration," CESifo Working Paper Series 10985, CESifo.
    3. Antonela Miho & Alexandra Jarotschkin & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, 2024. "Diffusion of Gender Norms: Evidence from Stalin’s Ethnic Deportations," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 22(2), pages 475-527.
    4. Bredtmann, Julia & Otten, Sebastian, 2025. "Natives’ gender norms and the labor market integration of female immigrants," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    5. Tom Günther & Jakob Conradi & Clemens Hetschko, 2024. "Socialism, Identity and the Well-Being of Unemployed Women," CESifo Working Paper Series 11154, CESifo.
    6. Chen, Liwen & Chung, Bobby W. & Wang, Guanghua, 2025. "Composition of peer mothers and gender norms: Class randomization and short-run effects," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    7. Akbulut-Yuksel, Mevlude & Aydemir, Abdurrahman B. & Kirdar, Murat Güray & Turan, Belgi, 2025. "Breaking Barriers via Refugees: Cultural Transmission and Women’s Economic Empowerment," IZA Discussion Papers 17871, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Federica Meluzzi, 2024. "The College Melting Pot: Peers, Culture and Women's Job Search," Papers 2409.20225, arXiv.org.
    9. Averkamp, Dorothée, 2024. "The Gender Wage Gap, Labor-Market Experience, and Family Choices: Lessons from East Germany?," VfS Annual Conference 2024 (Berlin): Upcoming Labor Market Challenges 302347, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    10. Qian, Ruoyu, 2024. "Communist propaganda and women’s status," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    11. Naomi Friedman-Sokuler & Claudia Senik, 2025. "From pink collar to lab coat: cultural persistence and diffusion of socialist gender norms," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(1), pages 1-34, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior

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