Female workforce participation and household expenditure for culture and recreation: macroeconomic evidence from the Italian regions

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of labour force participation on the share of private expenditure for cultural and recreational goods and services. We consider a panel of macroeconomic data, coming from the 20 Italian regions observed over the period 1995–2015. We document that female participation rate positively and significantly affects the share of household consumption devoted to culture and entertainment. The effect of male labour participation rate appears to be less clear-cut. We propose some theoretical and empirical considerations, to investigate the bases and the policy implications of such gender asymmetry.