RSF Visiting Scholar Paola Guiliano has co-published a paper in the February 2013 issue of Oxford Quarterly Journal of Economics, drawing on research undertaken here at Russell Sage on the agricultural roots—and persistence—of gender roles. The abstract begins:

The study examines the historical origins of existing cross-cultural differences in beliefs and values regarding the appropriate role of women in society. We test the hypothesis that traditional agricultural practices influenced the historical gender division of labor and the evolution of gender norms.

Building off of the hypothesis put forth by Ester Boserup (1970), that “gender roles have their origins in the form of agriculture traditionally practiced in the pre-industrial period,” Guiliano and her co-authors gathered data culled from pre-industrial ethnographic data as well as contemporary surveys individuals’ views on gender roles and women’s place in society. In particular, the authors looked for the adoption and persistence of plough agriculture, which requires “significant upper body strength, grip strength, and bursts of power…to either pull the plough or control the animal that pulls it.” Because of such intense physical demands, plough agriculture offered more opportunities for men in agricultural roles, relegating most women to work inside the home. The authors continue:

We find that, consistent with existing hypotheses, the descendants of societies that traditionally practiced plough agriculture today have less equal gender norms, measured using reported gender-role attitudes and female participation in the workplace, politics, and entrepreneurial activities. Our results hold looking across countries, across districts within countries, and across ethnicities within districts. To test for the importance of cultural persistence, we examine the children of immigrants living in Europe and the United States. We find that even among these individuals, all born and raised in the same country, those with a heritage of traditional plough use exhibit less equal beliefs about gender roles today.

Read the full article (subscription required) here.