Sweet Unbinding: Sugarcane Cultivation and the Demise of Foot-Binding

This study investigates the sudden disappearance of foot-binding, a costly custom practiced for centuries in China and Taiwan prior to its demise. We estimate numbers women who unbound their feet response rapid growth sugarcane cultivation early 20th century, which boosted demand female labor relative male labor. Cross-township variations based upon multiple history datasets indicate that cane had strong robust effect on unbinding. The IV estimations utilizing railroads – lines built exclusively transportation support causal interpretation estimated effect. finding implies change gender-specific productivity can help eliminate norms against women, it also provides additional argument foot-binding was incentivized by economic motives. present evidence lending credit conventional hypothesis as form marriage competition.