High-Value Work and the Rise of Women: The Cotton Revolution and Gender Equality in China

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of the Cotton Revolution (1300--1840 AD) on the evolution of cultural beliefs regarding women's capabilities and value. The introduction of new technologies and the rise of regional specialization in cotton weaving during this period enabled women to become major income earners. The Cotton Revolution, characterized by home-based proto-industrial production, provides a unique context with significant consequences for women's lives without radically altering the broader economic trajectories. Using a difference-in-differences approach, I demonstrate that the Cotton Revolution led to an increase in positive sentiment in women-related Classical Chinese poetry and was associated with a greater occurrence of uxorilocal marriages, where men join the bride's family. Modern survey data reveal a negative correlation between a history of home-based proto-industrial cotton weaving and the belief that men are inherently more capable than women. Additionally, evidence from sex imbalances at birth, indicative of deliberate sex selection, strongly supports these findings. Women in regions influenced by the Cotton Revolution exhibit higher educational attainment, marry later, and are more likely to hold leadership positions, despite facing similar economic and legal institutions as those in other regions. The results remain robust when applying matching and instrumental variable methods. The persistence of the Cotton Revolution's impact, even under centralized socialist rule---where universal female employment was mandated and the institutional environment was standardized across regions---suggests the operation of a lasting cultural channel.

Keywords: Technology, Trade, Culture, Gender

JEL Classification: Z1, J16, N35, I1