The Intergenerational Transmission of World War I on Female Labour

Victor Gay (1, 2)

1 TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics
2 IAST - Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse

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.

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

Domaines: Economies et finances; Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Victor Gay. The Intergenerational Transmission of World War I on Female Labour. The Economic Journal, 2023, 133 (654), pp.2303-2333. ⟨10.1093/ej/uead029⟩. ⟨hal-02523129v6⟩