Journal of Economic Behavior and OrganizationNew paper availableOn the nature of nurture. The malleability of gender differences in work preferences

24. Mai 2018

We would like to draw your attention to our recently published paper "On the nature of nurture. The malleability of gender differences in work preferences" is now available at the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.

Miriam Beblo and Luise Görges study the malleability of gender-specific preferences for work by exploiting the German
division and reunification as a natural experiment. They test whether the two political systems have shaped gender gaps in preferences differentially, based on German-GeneralSocial-Survey data from 1991, 1998 and 2012, an extensive set of register data and historical
data from the 19th and early 20th century. Their analyses reveal a substantial East-West difference in the gender gap directly after reunification and no convergence thereafter. A cohort analysis illuminates the mechanism, as the effect is driven by cohorts who grew
up during separation, and suggests that institutions, not cultural legacy, are the decisive component.

Download