The Good Daughter?

We study the impact of Federal alcohol Prohibition in 1919 on workers in the alcohol industry and their families, using newly linked census records following spouses, sons, and daughters 1910-1940. Through 1930, affected men were less likely to work and worked in lower-skilled jobs when employed. By 1940, they were more likely to be employed, suggesting delayed retirement. Daughters of these workers were more likely to stay home, delay marriage, and work, even 20 years later. Sons were unaffected short-run. Those with sisters completed more schooling and earned more by 1940, suggesting daughters, not sons, served as the family’s safety net.