The paper argues that regional idiosyncratic factors may contribute to determining the labor force participation (LFP) preferences of married women. Analyzing data across metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for 1980, the study initially finds no significant regional differences in the “gross” means of reported labor force participation (LFP) rates of married women in the U.S. It reveals substantial regional disparities, however, once the usual arguments of the LFP function are accounted for. In particular, the LFP equation exhibits marked structural differences across regions, providing support for the above hypothesis of regional “social economy.”
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