Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/333680 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18241
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper examines the long-run effects of women's economic rights on generations exposed to property and earnings acts during childhood. We find that childhood exposure to these reforms reduced the probability of marriage—particularly among women—and increased female labor force participation in adulthood. To explore potential mechanisms, we document several short-run effects among the adult generation contemporaneous to the reforms, including improved occupational standing, reduced fertility, lower child mortality, and increased schooling among children. Taken together, our findings suggest that expanding economic rights for women can shape outcomes across multiple generations, underscoring the enduring importance of legal and institutional reforms that promote women's economic empowerment.
Subjects: 
women's economic rights
intergenerational mobility
long-run effects
JEL: 
D13
J12
J16
N31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.