Extending the Patriarchy Index to Trace U.S. Family Driven Age and Gender Inequalities, 1880–2000

J. David Hacker, University of Minnesota
Mikolaj Szoltysek, The Cardinal Wyszynski University of Warsaw
Mateusz Grzyb, Cardinal Wyszynski University in Warsaw

This paper builds on our contribution to last year’s SSHA meeting, where we introduced preliminary steps toward adapting the Gruber–Szoltysek Patriarchy Index (PI) to the United States. In this follow up study, we propose a more formalized and expanded version of the PI designed to trace long term changes in U.S. patriarchal structures 1880-2000. Using complete count census microdata, we construct new measures capturing dimensions of gender inequality not included in the original PI but central to the American historical experience. A key innovation is the incorporation of indicators reflecting women’s participation and success in the paid labor market, serving as proxies for women’s potential economic independence from men. We also examine child naming practices—specifically, the proportion of firstborn children named after fathers or mothers—as both a cultural signal of gendered authority within families and an indicator of agnatic or patrilineal orientations. Additional components include educational differences between boys and girls and the growing tendency of men to work outside the household, reflecting the decline of the “corporate family” typical of agrarian and family business economies. For each census year and major household categories—households headed by white native born men, white foreign born men, and Black men—we compute the original PI and a “post agrarian” PI tailored to the U.S. transition from household based production to wage labor. This dual index strategy allows assessment of both continuity and transformation in patriarchal structures across social groups and economic regimes. By integrating behavioral, cultural, and economic indicators, the extended PI provides a more comprehensive framework for evaluating the evolution of patriarchy in the United States. We outlines construction of the new index, presents preliminary temporal and group specific trajectories, and sets the stage for broader comparative work linking U.S. patterns to patriarchal transitions in Europe (via NAPP) and Asia (via IPUMS International).

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 46. Patriarchal Regimes in Comparative Perspective: Variation, Measurement, and Historical Change