Frontiers in Household Economics: Domestic Violence, Behavioral Functioning, Protective Laws
Paper Session
Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EST)
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Chairs:
Daniele Paserman, Boston University - Shoshana Grossbard, San Diego State University
Protection for Whom? The Political Economy of Protective Labor Laws for Women
Abstract
During the first half of the twentieth century, many US states enacted laws restricting women's labor market opportunities, including maximum hours restrictions, minimum wage laws, and night-shift bans. The era of so-called protective labor laws came to an end in the 1960s as a result of civil rights reforms. In this paper, we investigate the political economy behind the rise and fall of these laws. We argue that the main driver behind protective labor laws was men's desire to shield themselves from labor market competition. We spell out the mechanism through a politico-economic model in which singles and couples work in different sectors and vote on protective legislation. Restrictions are supported by single men and couples with male sole earners who compete with women for jobs. We show that the theory's predictions for when protective legislation will be introduced are well supported by US state-level evidence.Impaired Cognitive and Behavioral Functioning in Childhood and Economic Outcomes in Adulthood
Abstract
Developmental disabilities are prevalent among U.S. children and rates have been increasing in recent decades. The increases have been driven by cognitive and behavioral disorders, which have implications for children’s human capital trajectories. While some studies have investigated the effects of specific childhood conditions, particularly ADHD on human capital outcomes, few have focused on cognitive or behavioral impairments more generally. Furthermore, many studies focused on diagnosed conditions rather than children’s cognitive or behavioral functioning. We address these key gaps by estimating the effects of impaired cognitive and behavioral functioning in childhood on a set of salient adult economic outcomes. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 Child Supplement, we estimate the effects of low cognitive test scores and high behavior problem scores in childhood on educational attainment, employment, wages, and access to transportation and credit in adulthood. We assess cognitive and behavioral scores at multiple time points during childhood and estimate both cross-family and household fixed effects models. We find that individuals with low cognitive scores in childhood are 10% less likely to graduate from high school, 22% less likely to be employed, 31% less likely to own a motor vehicle, 18% less likely to have a credit card, and have 50% lower earnings if employed compared to those with higher cognitive scores. We also find that individuals with high behavior problem scores in childhood are 6% less likely to have graduated from high school, 11% less likely to be employed, 13% less likely to own a motor vehicle, and have 15% lower earnings if employed compared to those with lower behavior problem scores. The findings have implications for well-being over the life course for a non-trivial share of the U.S. population and their families as well as for government expenditures and public policy.You Are Nothing Without Me: Domestic Violence and Divorce
Abstract
Empirical evidence on the impact of easier divorce on intimate partner violence (IPV) is mixed. This paper proposes a theoretical model where violence can be used either as a retention mechanism or in response to exogenous cues. Transition from mutual consent to unilateral divorce decreases cue-trigger violence but increases coercive violence. The latter is more likely when transfers between spouses are not possible or when violence is more costly to the inflicting partner. We test this prediction in the United States and Mexico using as variation in costs of violence through exposure to violence and gender-attitudes and support for our hypothesis.Discussant(s)
Alejandro Sierra
,
Universidad Mayor, Chile
Kelly Noonan
,
Princeton University
Anne Hannusch
,
University of Bonn
Bilge Erten
,
Northeastern University
JEL Classifications
- D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics
- J0 - General