Changing gender norms and household resource allocation.

This article examines how a surge in media coverage of feminism in South Korea since the mid-2010s influenced married women's perceptions of gender norms and subsequently affected household labor allocation and women's welfare. Using data from the top six national newspapers and the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families (KLoWF), the study employs a Bartik instrumental variable approach based on regional newspaper market shares and growth in feminism-related articles to identify causal effects. Findings indicate that increased exposure to feminism-related media led women to adopt more egalitarian gender attitudes, significantly reducing their household labor by outsourcing tasks rather than substantially increasing husbands' participation. Despite persistent gendered divisions of labor, these changes corresponded with increased women's labor market engagement and higher marital happiness, highlighting a shift in household bargaining dynamics and the role of media in evolving social norms.