"One Bed, Two Dreams: Female Migration, Conservative Norms and Foreign Brides in South Korea" draft
In this paper I empirically show that the import of brides from less developed countries is the response of men to a marriage squeeze brought by female internal migration. In the setting of South Korea I analyze how female internal mobility affects local men's demand for immigrant brides, which is reinforced by men's conservatism on gender norms. To obtain causal identification, I use a two-way fixed effect model and an enclave instrument based on past internal migration. I investigate the implications for fertility rates and I find that the negative effect of female out-migration on fertility is partially offset by the increase in the number of international marriages.
"Are Men’s Attitudes Holding Back Fertility and Women's Careers? Evidence from Europe" (with Libertad Gonzalez) - draft.
We propose that men’s reluctance to increase their participation in childcare and household chores is an important factor keeping both fertility and women’s employment low in Europe. We first show that, over time, European women express a stronger desire for men increasing their participation in home production. This trend is not observed for men. We propose a toy model of the household that illustrates how men’s refusal to contribute to childcare can have negative effects on both fertility and women’s labor supply. Finally, we use cross-country panel data and a two-way fixed effects specification to show that countries where the gender divergence in attitudes is more pronounced display both lower birth-rates and lower female employment rates.
Press: Nada es Gratis.
"Owing Value to Scarcity? Intra-Household Implications of Immigration Reforms in South Korea" (with Wookun Kim) - draft.
We examine the marriage market and intra-household consequences of South Korea’s 2008–10 immigration reforms, which unintentionally reduced foreign bride inflows. Exploiting regionalvariation in exposure to the reforms and using uniquely rich data—administrative records, house-hold surveys, and registries—we find that the reforms resulted in fewer new marriages, increasedwomen’s intra-household bargaining power, shifted in women’s time from housework to employ-ment, and increased well-being for both spouses. Divorce rates fell, with a shift from generalincompatibility to abuse-related grounds. These findings reveal the reforms’ unintended impactson household dynamics and broader economic implications.
"Investigating the Impact of Immigration on the Gender Wage Gap" (with Cristina Tealdi)
Selected paper for VisitINPS Fellowship on gender inequalities
"Does Infrastructure Development Affect Fertility and Sex Ratio at Birth? Evidence from Rural Vietnam" (with Huyen T.T. Nguyen).