Work

The Origins and Persistence of Black-White Differences in Women's Labor Force Participation

Year: 2013

Type: report

Abstract: Black women were more likely than white women to participate in the labor force from 1870 until at least 1980 and to hold jobs in agriculture or manufacturing.Differences in observables cannot account for most of this racial gap in labor force participation for the 100 years after Emancipation.The unexplained racial gap may be due to racial differences in stigma associated with women's work, which Goldin (1977) suggested could be traced to cultural norms rooted in slavery.In both nineteenth and twentieth century data, we find evidence of inter-generation transmission of labor force participation from mother to daughter, which is consistent with the role of cultural norms.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research

DOI: 10.3386/w19040

Authors: Leah Platt Boustan, William Collins

Institutions: National Bureau of Economic Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Brookings Institution, Vanderbilt University

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W1553229228

Cites: 42

Cited by: 24

Related to: 10