%0 Report
        %A Braun, Sebastian Till
%A Stuhler, Jan
        %T The Economic Consequences of Being Widowed by War: A Life-Cycle Perspective
        %D 2024
        %8 2024 May
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 16973
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp16973
        %X Despite millions of war widows worldwide, little is known about the economic consequences of being widowed by war. We use life history data from West Germany to show that war widowhood increased women's employment immediately after World War II but led to lower employment rates later in life. War widows, therefore, carried a double burden of employment and childcare while their children were young but left the workforce when their children reached adulthood. We discuss the mechanisms contributing to this counterintuitive life-cycle pattern and examine potential spillovers to the next generation.
        %K female labor force participation
%K labor market careers
%K war widows
%K World War II