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The Review of Economics and Statistics 2026

Gender Norms and Female Labor Supply: Evidence from Export Shocks in Vietnam

Quynh Huynh1; Hyejin Ku2

1 Leeds University Business School, Economics Department, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK; CReAM and RFBerlin. [email protected] · 2 University College London, Department of Economics, 30 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AX, UK; CEPR, CReAM, and RFBerlin. [email protected]

Abstract

We study how economic development affects female labor force participation, focusing on the role of gender norms. Analyzing quasi-random variation in provincial exports in reunified Vietnam from 2002 to 2018, we find that positive economic shocks reduced women’s labor market engagement, particularly among married women from wealthier households and those with husbands in more skilled occupations. This trend is more pronounced in the South (formerly capitalist) than in the North (always socialist), and among native Southerners compared to Northerners relocated to the South after the war. Our findings highlight how gender role attitudes shape women’s responses to rising incomes.

DOI
10.1162/rest.a.1740
Pages
1-45
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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