| Title: | Roots of Gender Equality : the Persistent Effect of Beguinages on Attitudes Toward Women (2022) |
| Authors: | Èric Roca Fernández, Author ; Annalisa Frigo, Author |
| In : | Journal of economic growth (Vol. 27 N°1, March 2022) |
| Article on page: | pp. 91–148 |
| Languages: | English |
| Descriptors: |
[Eurovoc] ECONOMICS > economic conditions > economic development [Eurovoc] GEOGRAPHY > Europe > Western Europe > Belgium [Eurovoc] LAW > rights and freedoms > social rights > gender equality [Eurovoc] SCIENCE > humanities > social sciences > history [Eurovoc] SOCIAL QUESTIONS > culture and religion > religion |
| Abstract: | This paper is concerned with the historical roots of gender equality. It proposes and empirically assesses a new determinant of gender equality: gender-specific outside options in the marriage market. In particular, enlarging women’s options besides marriage—even if only temporarily—increases their bargaining power with respect to men, leading to a persistent improvement in gender equality. We illustrate this mechanism focusing on Belgium, and relate gender-equality levels in the 19th century to the presence of medieval, female-only communities called beguinages that allowed women to remain single amidst a society that traditionally advocated marriage. Combining geo-referenced data on beguinal communities with 19th-century census data, we document that the presence of beguinages contributed to decrease the gender gap in literacy. The reduction is sizeable, amounting to a 12.3% drop in gender educational inequality. Further evidence of the beguinal legacy is provided leveraging alternative indicators of female agency. |
| Doi : |
DOI : 10.1007/s10887-021-09198-7 
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| Axe de recherche : | Trajectoires de développement durable |
| Link for e-copy: | https://uca.hal.science/hal-03499520 |
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Copies (1)
| Barcode | Call number | Media type | Location | Section | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 007899 | JEG | Revue | Centre de documentation du CERDI / Ecole d'Economie | Salle de lecture | Available |
E-copies (1)
https://uca.hal.science/hal-03371524/file/main.pdf URL |
