Internet Use and Gender Role Attitudes: Evidence from China

Abstract

The progress in information and communication technology since the 1970s has expanded Internet use and promoted economic development worldwide. Although empirical studies have revealed that social norms change with economic and social development, empirical evidence regarding the association between Internet use and gender role attitudes (GRA) remains scant. Using four-wave national longitudinal data from China Family Panel Studies of 2010-2020 and panel data analysis methods (the model with lagged variables, random effect and fixed-effect models) to address endogeneity issues, this study investigates the impact of Internet use on GRAs in China. The results indicate that Internet use significantly reduces the likelihood of holding inegalitarian GRA, and the robustness checks confirm this finding. The effect of Internet use varies depending on the type of GRA, with a more significant effect observed for the attitude that “a man should focus on work while a woman should focus on family” and “marrying well is better than working well for a woman.” Moreover, the reduction of inegalitarian GRA through Internet use is more pronounced among disadvantaged groups (the low-education group, the older generation, the residents in less-developed regions, and the rural residents) than among their counterparts.