On the origins of time use: women and the plough

Abstract

In those regions where men had an absolute advantage in agriculture in the pre-industrial era (i.e., regions that used the plough, which requires extensive use of force), a clear gender division of labour emerged. This division, with men typically working outside the household and women handling domestic work, has persisted today, even when the cause that gave rise to it has disappeared. In this work, I analyze the effect of ancestral agricultural practices on gender gaps in time use today. The results show that the greater the ancestral use of the plough, the less time women dedicate to paid work today (22%−27% less each day for each point increase in the use of the plough). Simultaneously, they devote more time to leisure and media. These results persist intergenerationally: they are repeated when comparing women born in the same country but whose parents are immigrants (i.e., I keep the external context constant and allow the intensity of the plough use to vary among their ancestors). These findings underline the significant role of cultural norms in explaining gender gaps and the pressing need for their inclusion as a policy objective.