Recent studies propose a link between ancestral irrigation and lower levels of female labor force participation. It provides support for this hypothesis using cross-country data and surveys like the World Values Survey and Afrobarometer. The research also examines the gender-based division of labor in pre-modern agriculture as a potential mechanism for the relationship. Evidence from second-generation immigrants suggests cultural transmission across generations, particularly through males.

Image courtesy of interviewee. December 20, 2023