Social institutions and low birth rates

• Main Authors: HO, Christine, WANG, Yutao
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Subjects: female labor supply; fertility; child quality; gender norms; long work hours; Demography, Population, and Ecology; Gender and Sexuality; Labor Economics
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2770; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soe_research/article/3769/viewcontent/Social_Institutions_and_Low_Birth_Rates__Edited_.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

We document three cross-sectional stylized facts on labor supply and family formation. First, female labor force participation (FLFP) and total fertility rates (TFRs) are much lower in Eastern societies compared to Western economies. Second, labor hours and the gender pay gap are much higher in the East than in the West. Third, parents invest more in schooling in Eastern societies compared to Western economies. To account for these features, we develop and estimate a rich heterogeneous-agent model with endogenous marriage, fertility, labor supply, and time and money investment in children. Estimates using data from South Korea and the United States highlight the importance of gender norms and long work hours practices in driving down FLFP while child quality mores drive down fertility in South Korea. Our results suggest that a multi-pronged policy approach or reductions in the gender pay gap may help boost both FLFP and fertility in East Asia.