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  5. Capitalism, Work and Identity
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Capitalism, Work and Identity

Paper Session

Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM (EST)

Hosted By: Union for Radical Political Economics & International Association for Feminist Economics
  • Chair: Shaianne Osterreich, Ithaca College

Fallback Position and Women's Intra-Household Bargaining Power: Evidence from Egypt

Stephanie Attar
,
University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Abstract

Intra-household bargaining dynamics are an important component of overall gender-based economic processes and outcomes. Frequently, the bargaining process over resource and time distribution within the household is fraught with inegalitarian relationships between men and women. This inequality is intensified when women have a weak fallback position or, in other words, when they lack access to resources outside of the household or marriage. Drawing upon the insight that a woman’s fallback position may be affected by more than monetary income, this paper tests this theory by constructing a multidimensional fallback index that is comprised of both monetary and nonmonetary resources. Using data from the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey for 2018, I find evidence that women who lack a combination of material, social, or ideological support to dissolve a marriage have less bargaining power within the marriage in terms of time spent on domestic labor and in the extent to which they participate in decision-making processes within the household. The findings have strong policy implications suggesting that it will take more than an increase in women’s labor force participation to address the problem of intra-household gender inequality.

Unpaid Work in Non-Capitalist Spaces in India: Contesting the Gendered Understandings

Surbhi Kesar
,
Azim Premji University

Abstract

In this work we (a) explore the evolution of unpaid 'market' work in non-capitalist segments in India, (b) identify its overlap and differences with unpaid 'care' work, and (c) add another dimension to understanding of the gendered nature of the process of capitalist transition.

Norms and Specialization in Household Production: Evidence from a Danish Parental Leave Reform

Anne Sophie Lassen
,
Copenhagen Business School

Abstract

This paper shows that decisions regarding intra-household specializations are determined by gender norms rather than standard economic incentives. To test theoretical predictions of both the standard model of intra-household time allocation and the role of gender identity, social category, and prescriptions, I use variation from a Danish parental leave reform. I find large effects among mothers and virtually unchanged behavior among fathers, irrespective of relative earnings in the household. This is consistent with the notion of pay-off from gender identity. Subsequently, I find peer effects among sisters and interpret this as reform-induced prescriptions regarding extensive leave for mothers.

Why Words Matter: The Impact of the 2016 Election on Health Outcomes

Teresa Perry
,
Colorado State University

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the 2016 election on substance use. This paper treats the election of President Trump as an exogenous shock of perceived racial discrimination against women, and ethnic and racial minority groups. One of Donald Trump’s major campaign initiatives was to build a wall at the American/Mexican border, and he frequently made negative comments about various racial and ethnic minority groups. He also made derogatory comments about women and his opponent Hilary Clinton, while also being accused of exhibiting sexual misconduct towards numerous women. I hypothesize that Donald Trump’s policies, actions, and rhetoric during his campaign created an increase in perceived discrimination against women, ethnic, and racial minorities. Using a sequential mediation model from psychology, I examine whether an increase in perceived discrimination causes an increase in substance use through the mechanism of stress, anger, and frustration. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is used for data and has a variety of health measures and demographic information compiled on the individual level. A regression discontinuity design is employed to examine this hypothesis. Preliminary results indicate that there has been an increase in substance use and stress for some impacted groups. These results highlight the impact that discriminatory rhetoric by political leaders and public figures have on marginalized groups within society. Policy implications include new ways to target substance use by targeting discrimination.

Space, Time, and Religious Identity: Women’s Mobility in India and Pakistan

Abhilasha Srivastava
,
Bridgewater State University

Abstract

This paper compares women’s time-use patterns in India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan focusing on their mobility and access to public spaces. South Asia is a region where women's mobility is severely restricted, and we want to investigate if religion has a role in restricting this mobility. We use time use data to identify factors that affect the intersection of time and space for women in South Asia. Using Indian TUS 1998-99 and Pakistani TUS 2007, we investigate women’s time spent in both work (paid and unpaid) and leisure activities, with respect to spaces where the activities took place. Location helps us place the particular activity/episode within a social context, by allowing us to explore if the episode took place within one’s own dwelling, i.e. private sphere, or outside the dwelling i.e. public sphere and at what time of the day. This analysis engages with scholarship on the intersection of gender, space and time and how this shapes individual’s everyday experiences and their economic decision-making. We also study how these gendered experiences are often shaped by social contexts such as caste, class, religion and age. Especially, comparing the cases of India and Pakistan, helps us in identifying the role of state and religion in shaping these gendered experiences.
JEL Classifications
  • J3 - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
  • B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches