Queens of the Desert: Convictism and Marital Attitudes across Australia
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 110,
May 2020
(pp. 457-62)
Abstract
We merge data on spatial variation in the presence of convicts across eighteenth and nineteenth century Australia with results from the country's 2017 poll on same-sex marriage and with household survey data. These combined data allow us to identify the lasting impact of convict colonization on social norms about marriage. We find that in areas with higher historical convict concentrations, more Australians recently voted in favor of same-sex marriage and hold liberal views about marriage more generally. Our results highlight how founder populations can have lasting effects on locally held social norms.Citation
Baranov, Victoria, Ralph De Haas, and Pauline Grosjean. 2020. "Queens of the Desert: Convictism and Marital Attitudes across Australia." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 110: 457-62. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20201120Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
- N37 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: Africa; Oceania
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law