Work

The Dynamics of Gender Norms and Fertility Decline

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This paper models fertility as the outcome of gender‐biased technological progress interacting with endogenous social norms governing childcare. When rising female wages outpace norm adjustment, the inherited norm makes reallocating childcare toward fathers costly, so mothers bear a disproportionate burden and the shadow price of children rises. In cross‐country data, fertility falls faster where women's relative standing rises, especially where norms are tighter or more rigid. Calibrated to South Korea (1976–2016), the model shows that strong, slow‐adjusting norms deepen the decline. Despite smaller short‐run effects, male childcare subsidies yield larger long‐run gains than female subsidies by accelerating convergence to egalitarian norms.

Source: International Economic Review

DOI: 10.1111/iere.70100

Authors: Xican Xi, Anson Zhou

Institutions: Fudan University, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, University of Hong Kong

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: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,570