Verónica Amarante es Directora de Investigaciones Socioeconómicas en CAF (Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe) y Profesora Titular del Departamento de Economía de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Administración de la Universidad de la República (UdelaR) en Uruguay. Tiene un PhD en Economía por la University of Sussex y un Máster en Economía por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra. Completó sus estudios de grado en la UdelaR. Es miembro del Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (Nivel II) de Uruguay e Investigadora Asociada de Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP). Fue Directora de la Oficina de Montevideo de la CEPAL y Directora del Instituto de Economía de la UdelaR. Sus investigaciones se centran en temas de desarrollo económico, género y economía laboral, con especial énfasis en Uruguay y América Latina. Sus trabajos han sido publicados en revistas académicas como American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Journal of International Development, Review of Development Economics, International Labour Review, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, World Development Perspectives y Applied Economics Letters, entre otras.

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the intergenerational transmission of time use patterns among adolescents in Colombia and Mexico, with a particular focus on unpaid work. Using recent nationally representative time use surveys from both countries, we analyze how adolescents’ time allocation relates to their parents’ behaviors and attitudes. Our findings reveal significant gender differences in time use: girls dedicate more time to unpaid work and personal care, while boys spend more time on leisure activities. The analysis yields three main contributions. First, we find robust evidence of intergenerational transmission of behaviors: adolescents’ time devoted to unpaid work is positively correlated with their same-sex parent’s time allocation to these activities, with stronger father-son and mother- daughter associations. Second, the gender gap in unpaid work between adolescent siblings is positively correlated with their parents’ gender gap, suggesting that household gender inequalities are reproduced across generations. Third, in Colombia, where attitudinal data is available, we find that traditional gender attitudes are significantly associated with girls’ (but not boys’) time spent on housework, with maternal attitudes exerting particularly strong influence. These findings highlight how gender roles and inequalities in unpaid work are transmitted across generations through both behavioral patterns and attitudinal socialization. The results underscore the importance of addressing both structural constraints and cultural norms in policies aimed at promoting gender equality in domestic work, particularly during adolescence—a critical period for the formation of lifelong behavioral patterns.

AUTORES: Verónica Amarante (CAF & UdelaR) & Julieta Zurbrigg (UdelaR)

ORGANIZA: Departamento de Economía, Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Revista Económica

CONTACTO: iie@econo.unlp.edu.ar