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Do historical agro-ecological factors shape current attitudes towards women’s rights and abilities?

Author

Listed:
  • Chandan Kumar Jha

    (Le Moyne College)

  • Sudipta Sarangi

    (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

  • Ishita Tripathi

    (Ahmedabad University)

Abstract

A growing strand of literature documents how historical agricultural and ecological factors continue to determine women’s role and well-being in society through cultural transmission even today. Studies have shown that such factors are significantly associated with perceptions regarding women’s right to jobs and their abilities as political leaders. However, scant attention has been paid to women’s ability as business executives and their democratic rights. Using individual-level observations from multiple waves of the World Values Survey, this paper investigates whether these historical and ecological factors can explain perceptions regarding women’s democratic rights and their ability as business executives. Overall, our findings support the existing literature and show that historical agricultural and ecological factors (ancestral plough use, Neolithic transition, and ancestral resource endowments) have a much broader impact on women’s rights and abilities in diverse contexts, including the labor force, business, and politics. Given the robustness of this phenomenon, it calls for broad affirmative action favoring women in different social spheres.

Suggested Citation

  • Chandan Kumar Jha & Sudipta Sarangi & Ishita Tripathi, 2023. "Do historical agro-ecological factors shape current attitudes towards women’s rights and abilities?," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 87-104, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:inecre:v:58:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s41775-023-00159-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s41775-023-00159-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alberto Alesina & Paola Giuliano & Nathan Nunn, 2013. "On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 128(2), pages 469-530.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cooray, Arusha & Jha, Chandan Kumar & Sarangi, Sudipta, 2024. "Good governance in troubled times: What we know and what experts say," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Historical agro-ecological factors; Culture; Women’s rights and abilities; Gender inequality; Female labor force participation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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