Research
Working Papers
No Room of One’s Own: Inherited Norms and Women’s Lifetime Labor Market Non-Participation Job Market Paper Under Review
Using data on older women in India matched to ancestral ethnolinguistic backgrounds, we examine how inherited norms shape women's lifetime work attachment and the consequences of these roles later in life. We find that women from communities with historically greater female participation in production are less likely to remain outside the labor force over their lifetime. Yet among women who never worked, those from these same backgrounds report worse psychological well-being and greater mistreatment in old age. Our conceptual framework distinguishes the economic resources associated with a woman's labor market attachment from the social consequences of conforming to or departing from community expectations. We find that financial control is related to women's work status regardless of ancestral norms, while household decision-making also varies with whether women's work status conforms to community expectations. These findings suggest that expanding women's economic opportunities can strengthen their financial control, but their participation in household decision-making will also depend on whether their economic roles are socially accepted.
Homes of Harm: Spousal Violence and Child Malnutrition in India Under Review
Early-life health is a key determinant of long-run human capital, yet the role of intra-household violence in shaping these outcomes is not well understood. This paper examines the causal impact of maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) on child health in India. To address endogeneity, we exploit variation in the district-level presence of All-Women Police Stations as a proxy for institutional responsiveness to gender-based violence, using repeated cross-sections from the National Family Health Survey.
We find that exposure to IPV significantly worsens child nutritional outcomes, raising the likelihood of stunting, underweight, and anaemia. Affected children are also less likely to receive essential micronutrient supplementation, though we find no effects on short-term morbidities such as diarrhoea or fever. Mechanism evidence points to reduced breastfeeding, consistent with declines in maternal health and autonomy. Overall, the results highlight substantial intergenerational costs of IPV and suggest that strengthening institutional responses may yield meaningful gains for early-life health.
Work in Progress
The Returns to Rest: Productivity in Knowledge Work
Following the inter-temporal model of labor supply, we study how productivity responds to vacations. Using case-level records from district courts in India, we examine how judicial output responds to scheduled court closures.
Behind the Veil: Female Seclusion and the Gender Gap in Human Capital Investment
This project examines how norms surrounding maternal veiling in India shape gender differences in human capital investments in children.
Labor Force Participation and Social Connectedness
Does women’s work shape their social lives in old age? Using a natural experiment, we show that having worked expands women’s friendships and reduces loneliness later in life.