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The Intergenerational Transmission of Gender Role Attitudes: Evidence from Immigrant Mothers-In-Law

Author

Listed:
  • Bredtmann, Julia

    (RWI)

  • Höckel, Lisa Sofie

    (RWI)

  • Otten, Sebastian

    (RWI)

Abstract
Previous literature has shown that attitudes and preferences are intergenerationally transmitted from parents to their children. We contribute to this literature by analyzing whether gender role attitudes are also transmitted across cultural boundaries, i.e., from immigrants to natives. Focusing on mixed couples, we examine whether the gender role attitudes of foreign-born mothers-in-law can explain the fertility and labor supply decisions of native US women. Our results reveal that women's labor market participation is significantly positively related to the gender role attitudes in her mother-in-law's country of origin. Employing a new identification strategy, we show that this finding is due to the intergenerational transmission of gender norms rather than other unobservable characteristics of the mother-in-law's country of origin. These results suggest that the cultural values held in their source country do not only influence the behavior of immigrants and their descendants, but can also affect the labor force participation of native women. We do, however, not find evidence that intergenerationally transmitted gender role attitudes affect the fertility behavior of native women.

Suggested Citation

  • Bredtmann, Julia & Höckel, Lisa Sofie & Otten, Sebastian, 2020. "The Intergenerational Transmission of Gender Role Attitudes: Evidence from Immigrant Mothers-In-Law," IZA Discussion Papers 13533, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13533
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    Cited by:

    1. Victor Gay, 2023. "Culture: An Empirical Investigation of Beliefs, Work, and Fertility. A Verification and Reproduction of Fernández and Fogli (2009)," Post-Print hal-04194417, HAL.
    2. Ooi, Elizabeth, 2023. "Culture and confidence in financial knowledge testing," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    3. Volha Lazuka & Annika Elwert, 2023. "Life-Cycle Effects of Comprehensive Sex Education," Papers 2310.11151, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2023.
    4. Fu, Wentao & Zhu, Feng & Cheng, Yao, 2023. "Gender differences in intergenerational effects of laid-off parents," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(4).
    5. Bredtmann, Julia & Otten, Sebastian, 2023. "Natives' gender norms and the labor market integration of female immigrants," Ruhr Economic Papers 1042, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    6. Brunello, Giorgio & Yamamura, Eiji, 2021. "With a Little Help from My Mother. The Matrilineal Advantage in European Grand Parenting," IZA Discussion Papers 14379, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Santos Silva, Manuel & Alexander, Amy C. & Klasen, Stephan & Welzel, Christian, 2023. "The roots of female emancipation: Initializing role of Cool Water," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 133-159.
    8. Adamecz, Anna & Lovász, Anna & Vujic, Suncica, 2024. "Beyond the Degree: Fertility Outcomes of 'First in Family' Graduates," IZA Discussion Papers 17216, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Lazuka, Volha & Elwert, Annika, 2023. "Life-Cycle Effects of Comprehensive Sex Education," IZA Discussion Papers 16622, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Elice, Paola & Martínez Flores, Fernanda & Reichert, Arndt R., 2023. "Religious terrorism, forced migration, and women's empowerment: Evidence from the Boko Haram insurgency," Ruhr Economic Papers 1044, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    11. Giorgio Brunello & Eiji Yamamura, 2023. "Reciprocity and the matrilineal advantage in European grand-parenting," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 397-433, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; immigration; culture; gender role attitudes; intergenerational transmission; female labor force participation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior

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