Robots, gender economic opportunities and household adjustment: Evidence from China

Abstract

Leveraging a unique historical instrumental variable—the first introduction of modern technology during China's Self-Strengthening Movement—this study utilizes macro / micro-level dataset to analyze how robotization affects gender economic opportunities and subsequent life-cycle transitions. The analysis indicates that (1) gender gaps in labor force participation, income and working hour declined significantly more in regions that introduced robots compared to other regions, increasing the relative economic status of women; (2) regions with higher robot exposure tend to experienced also a decline in marriage and childbirth, although no notable change in divorce was observed; (3) these patterns may attributable to enhanced status of women in the labor market, which in turn diminishes their satisfaction with economic and domestic contributions of men and leads to prioritizing career advancement over marriage and childbirth. Overall, our evidence shows that robots have a substantial impact on labor market structures, with potential spillover effects on a series of demographic behaviors.