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Growing Equality and Equality for Growth? An Empirical Study on the Relationship between Gender Equality, Demographic Change, and Economic Growth: Sweden, 1870-1990

Kok, Joris LU (2019) EKHS12 20191
Department of Economic History
Abstract (Swedish)
This thesis examines the relationship between gender equality, demographic change, and economic growth for the context of Sweden, 1870-1990. Large-scale developments changed a society with relatively little gender equality in the late nineteenth century to the egalitarian welfare state that we know today. Using personally-collected data at the Swedish county-level, a measure of gender equality - the `Historical Gender Gap Index' - is constructed, consisting of indicators for economic opportunities, health, and political participation. In a fixed effects model, the index is econometrically related to economic growth and demographic outcomes. The results suggest that increasing gender equality impacted economic growth positively since 1930.... (More)
This thesis examines the relationship between gender equality, demographic change, and economic growth for the context of Sweden, 1870-1990. Large-scale developments changed a society with relatively little gender equality in the late nineteenth century to the egalitarian welfare state that we know today. Using personally-collected data at the Swedish county-level, a measure of gender equality - the `Historical Gender Gap Index' - is constructed, consisting of indicators for economic opportunities, health, and political participation. In a fixed effects model, the index is econometrically related to economic growth and demographic outcomes. The results suggest that increasing gender equality impacted economic growth positively since 1930. Gender equality also decreased fertility between 1880 and 1920, and increased the mean age at marriage for women for the whole period, in agreement with both Unified Growth Theory and the European Marriage Pattern. The author points to the onset of the Swedish welfare state around 1930 as a turning point in the relationship between gender equality and economic growth, although further research is necessary to confirm this connection. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Kok, Joris LU
supervisor
organization
course
EKHS12 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
gender equality, economic growth, economic history, demographic transition, industrialisation, unified growth theory, European marriage pattern
language
English
id
8990816
date added to LUP
2019-08-22 08:23:00
date last changed
2019-08-22 08:23:00
@misc{8990816,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines the relationship between gender equality, demographic change, and economic growth for the context of Sweden, 1870-1990. Large-scale developments changed a society with relatively little gender equality in the late nineteenth century to the egalitarian welfare state that we know today. Using personally-collected data at the Swedish county-level, a measure of gender equality - the `Historical Gender Gap Index' - is constructed, consisting of indicators for economic opportunities, health, and political participation. In a fixed effects model, the index is econometrically related to economic growth and demographic outcomes. The results suggest that increasing gender equality impacted economic growth positively since 1930. Gender equality also decreased fertility between 1880 and 1920, and increased the mean age at marriage for women for the whole period, in agreement with both Unified Growth Theory and the European Marriage Pattern. The author points to the onset of the Swedish welfare state around 1930 as a turning point in the relationship between gender equality and economic growth, although further research is necessary to confirm this connection.}},
  author       = {{Kok, Joris}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Growing Equality and Equality for Growth? An Empirical Study on the Relationship between Gender Equality, Demographic Change, and Economic Growth: Sweden, 1870-1990}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}