It's Raining Men! Hallelujah? The Long-Run Consequences of Male-Biased Sex Ratios

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Grosjean, Pauline; Khattar, Rose
• 署名单位: University of New South Wales Sydney; Parliament of Australia
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6527
• DOI: 10.1093/restud/rdy025
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 723-754
• 关键词: gender-roles; LABOR; women; marriage; populations; persistence; culture; MARKETS; HISTORY; price

摘要

We document the short- and long-run effects of male-biased sex ratios. We exploit a natural historical experiment where large numbers of male convicts and far fewer female convicts were sent to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries. In areas with more male-biased sex ratios, women were historically more likely to get married and less likely to work outside the home. In these areas today, both men and women continue to have more conservative attitudes towards women working, and women work fewer hours outside the home. While these women enjoy more leisure, they are also less likely to work in high-ranking occupations. We demonstrate that the consequences of uneven sex ratios on cultural attitudes, labour supply decisions, and occupational choices can persist in the long run, well after sex ratios are back to the natural rate. We document the roles of vertical cultural transmission and marriage homogamy in sustaining this cultural persistence.