The Geography of Child Penalties and Gender Norms: A Pseudo-Event Study Approach

This paper develops a pseudo-event study approach to estimating child penalties using cross-sectional data. The approach produces estimates that align closely with those obtained from true event studies using panel data and is statistically more precise. This allows for providing more granular evidence and study mechanisms. The paper presents a detailed investigation of the variation in child penalties across time, geography, and demographic/cultural groups in the US. There is large variation in these dimensions. Using a variety of approaches – including epidemiological studies of movers and immigrants – the paper finds that gender norms have sizable effects on child penalties.