Gender Norms and Cognitive Health in Later Life: An Analysis of Second-Generation Immigrants

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between gender norms and the gender gap in cognitive health among older individuals in Europe. We use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Integrated Values Surveys to examine how gender differences in cognitive health among second-generation immigrants are affected by gender norms in their parents’ country of birth. This approach allows to identify the effect of social norms while holding the institutional background fixed. Our findings reveal that women score lower on cognitive tests compared to men when their parents’ country of birth holds more conservative gender norms. Most importantly, more conservative gender norms expose women to a higher risk of reaching the threshold for pre-dementia diagnosis than men. Further analysis suggests that gender differences in occupational type may partly explain this link. This study highlights that public policies aiming at promoting gender equality might have important implications for the cognitive health of older women. Joint paper with Adèle Lemoine.