Protectionism and Parenthood: The Impact of Children on Globalization Attitudes

• In Event: The Political Economy of Gender in Globalization Politics

Abstract

It is well established that individuals’ economic interests as consumers and producers influence their attitudes towards trade (sometimes in conflicting ways). Economic interests in both those roles are considerably altered by having children. Households with children may have distinct concerns around consumption (in terms of volume of consumption, budget, product safety, environmental impact). Parents also engage in large amounts of unpaid production, which can alter their engagement in paid production. Numerous studies show that parental status influences labor market choices (i.e., job location, hours, attachment) and income for both men and women (albeit in different ways). Using original survey experiments in a 2023 survey of 2,000 Americans as well as existing survey data, we explore how considerations of consumer and producer concerns (for example, worries about price and quality of imports, job insecurity, economic vulnerability) impact individuals’ trade policy preferences as well as examining differences between those with and without children. We find that parents' willingness to purchase imports is more sensitive to quality considerations, but that price considerations may be even more important than quality when forming parents' trade preferences. On the production side, both parents and non-parents are less likely to support free trade when it is associated with lower wages or job loss. However, when trade is associated with higher wages and more jobs, support for trade increases among parents, but not non-parents. We further find that the impact of parenthood is conditional on gender, income, and education.

Authors

• Ida Bastiaens, Fordham University

• Celeste Beesley, Brigham Young University