The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective

No 16973, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Despite millions of war widows worldwide, little is known about the economic consequences of being widowed by war. We use life history data from West Germany to show that war widowhood increased women's employment immediately after World War II but led to lower employment rates later in life. War widows, therefore, carried a double burden of employment and childcare while their children were young but left the workforce when their children reached adulthood. We discuss the mechanisms contributing to this counterintuitive life-cycle pattern and examine potential spillovers to the next generation.

Keywords: female labor force participation; labor market careers; war widows; World War II (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J20 N34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36 pages
Date: 2024-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-his and nep-lab
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Published - published in: Journal of Public Economics, 2024, 239, 16973

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective (2024)
Working Paper: The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective (2024)
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