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Intergenerational Transmission of Gender Attitudes: Evidence from India

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  • Diva Dhar
  • Tarun Jain
  • Seema Jayachandran

Abstract

This paper examines the intergenerational transmission of gender attitudes in India, a setting with severe discrimination against women and girls. We use survey data on gender attitudes (specifically, about the appropriate roles and rights of women and girls) collected from nearly 5500 adolescents attending 314 schools in the state of Haryana, and their parents. We find that when a parent holds a more discriminatory attitude, his or her child is about 11 percentage points more likely to hold the view. We find that parents hold greater sway over students’ gender attitudes than their peers do, and that mothers influence children’s gender attitudes more than fathers. Parental attitudes influence child attitudes more in Scheduled Caste communities and student gender attitudes are positively correlated with behaviours such as interacting with children of the opposite gender.

Suggested Citation

  • Diva Dhar & Tarun Jain & Seema Jayachandran, 2019. "Intergenerational Transmission of Gender Attitudes: Evidence from India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(12), pages 2572-2592, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:55:y:2019:i:12:p:2572-2592
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2018.1520214
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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