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The Intergenerational Transmission of World War I on Female Labour

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  • Victor Gay

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, IAST - Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse)

Abstract

Demographic shocks tied to World War I's high death toll induced many women to enter the labour force in the immediate postwar period. I document a positive impact of these newly employed women on the labour force participation of subsequent generations of women until today. I also find that the war permanently altered attitudes toward the role of women in the labour force. I decompose this impact into three channels of intergenerational transmission: transmission from mothers to daughters, transmission from mothers-in-law to daughters-in-law via their sons, and transmission through local social interactions.

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  • Victor Gay, 2023. "The Intergenerational Transmission of World War I on Female Labour," Post-Print hal-02523129, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02523129
    DOI: 10.1093/ej/uead029
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02523129v6
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    Cited by:

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    2. Gay, Victor & Grosjean, Pauline, 2023. "Morts Pour la France: A database of French fatalities of the Great War," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    3. Dincecco, Mark & Fenske, James & Gupta, Bishnupriya & Menon, Anil, 2024. "Conflict and Gender Norms," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 704, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    4. Braun, Sebastian T. & Stuhler, Jan, 2024. "The economic consequences of being widowed by war: A life-cycle perspective," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    5. González, Felipe & Prem, Mounu & von Dessauer, Cristine, 2024. "Empowerment or Indoctrination? Female Training Programs under Dictatorship," IZA Discussion Papers 17163, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Churchill, Sefa Awaworyi & Chang, Simon & Smyth, Russell & Trinh, Trong-Anh, 2024. "The Long Run Gender Origins of Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Australia's Convict History," IZA Discussion Papers 17170, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    Keywords

    World War I; Gender norms; Economic History; Culture; Social norm; Military fatalities; Female labor force participation; Female labor supply; Intergenerational transmission;
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