The effects of South Korean Protestantism on human capital and female empowerment, 1930–2010

We examine the short- and long-run effects of historical Protestant churches on human capital and female empowerment in South Korea by combining historical data on religious facilities and contemporary population census and social survey data. In the short run, we find a positive and significant effect of Protestant churches on women’s literacy and employment, but not on men’s. After almost a century, we find no strong relationship between historical Protestant churches and women’s educational attainment or economic and political empowerment.