|
on Demographic Economics |
| By: | Ulrich Glogowsky (Johannes Kepler University Linz); Emanuel Hansen (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich); Dominik Sachs (University of St. Gallen); Holger Lüthen (German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) |
| Abstract: | Using German administrative data from the 1960s onward, this paper (i) examines the long-term evolution of child-related gender inequality in earnings and (ii) assesses the impact of family policies on this inequality. Our first (methodological) contribution is a decomposition approach that separates changes in child-related inequality into three components: the share of mothers, child penalties, and potential earnings of mothers (absent children). Our second contribution is a comprehensive analysis of child-related gender inequality in Germany. We derive three sets of findings. First, child penalties (i.e., the share of potential earnings mothers lose due to children) have increased strongly over the last decades. Mothers who had their first child in the 1960s faced much smaller penalties than those who gave birth in the 2000s. Second, the fraction of overall gender inequality in earnings attributed to children rose from 14% to 64% over our sample period. We show that this trend resulted not only from growing child penalties but also from rising potential earnings of mothers. Intuitively, in later decades, mothers had more income to lose from child-related career breaks. Third, we show that parental leave expansions between 1979 and 1992 amplified child penalties and explain nearly a third of the increase in child-related gender inequality. By contrast, a parental benefit reform in 2007 mitigated further increases. |
| Keywords: | child penalties; family policy; gender earnings gap; |
| JEL: | H31 J13 J22 |
| Date: | 2025–02–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rco:dpaper:527 |
| By: | Frederik Almar; Benjamin Friedrich; Ana Reynoso; Bastian Schulz; Rune M. Vejlin |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how family and firm investments interact to explain gender gaps in career achievement. Using Danish administrative data, we first document novel evidence of this interaction through a “spousal effect” on firm-side career investments. This effect is accounted for by family labor supply choices that shape worker characteristics, which then influence firms’ training and promotion decisions. Our main theoretical contribution is to develop a quantitative life cycle model that captures these family-firm interactions through household formation, families’ joint career and fertility choices, and firms’ managerial training and promotion decisions. We then use the estimated model to show that the interaction between families and firms in the joint equilibrium of labor and marriage markets is important when evaluating firm-side and family-side policy interventions. We find that gender-equal parental leave and a managerial quota can both improve gender equality, but leave implies costly skill depreciation, whereas the quota raises aggregate welfare, in part through adjustments in marital sorting towards families that invest in women. |
| JEL: | J12 J13 J18 J21 J24 J70 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33438 |
| By: | M.D.J.W. Wijesinghe (University of Waikato); Michael P. Cameron (University of Waikato); Susan Olivia (University of Waikato); Les Oxley (University of Waikato) |
| Abstract: | This study aims to provide a comparative analysis of the impacts of three significant pandemics - the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic - on life expectancy and lifespan inequality. Using cause-eliminated life tables and the Theil Index, we examine changes in life expectancy and lifespan inequality globally. The findings reveal that each pandemic uniquely altered demographic patterns. The 1918 influenza pandemic caused the sharpest immediate reductions in life expectancy, particularly affecting young adults, and led to a significant rise in lifespan inequality. In contrast, the HIV/AIDS epidemic had a more gradual and enduring impact, disproportionately affecting young and middle-aged adults in its early stages and exacerbating health disparities, especially in regions with limited access to antiretroviral therapy. COVID-19 primarily impacted older populations, resulting in smaller reductions in life expectancy compared to the 1918 influenza but with a distinctive decrease in lifespan inequality due to concentrated mortality among older adults. Furthermore, gender-specific effects varied across the pandemics. While the 1918 influenza pandemic and COVID-19 showed relatively uniform impacts across genders, HIV/AIDS revealed pronounced disparities, with women experiencing greater reductions in life expectancy and heightened lifespan inequality. By examining the unique mortality patterns and impacts of these pandemics, this study provides valuable insights to policymakers, emphasizing the need for tailored public health strategies to address inequalities and improve resilience in future global health crises. |
| Keywords: | Life Expectancy; Lifespan Inequality; 1918 Influenza; HIV/AIDS; COVID-19; Pandemics |
| JEL: | I14 I18 J18 |
| Date: | 2025–02–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wai:econwp:25/02 |
| By: | Mickael Melki (PSB - Paris School of Business - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université, NBER - National Bureau of Economic Research [New York] - NBER - The National Bureau of Economic Research); Hillel Rapoport (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CEPII - Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales - Centre d'analyse stratégique, LISER - Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research); Enrico Spolaore (Tufts University [Medford], NBER - National Bureau of Economic Research [New York] - NBER - The National Bureau of Economic Research); Romain Wacziarg (UCLA Anderson School of Management, NBER - National Bureau of Economic Research [New York] - NBER - The National Bureau of Economic Research) |
| Abstract: | We argue that migrants played a significant role in the diffusion of the demographic transition from France to the rest of Europe in the late 19 th century. Employing novel data on French immigration from other European regions from 1850 to 1930, we find that higher immigration to France translated into lower fertility in the region of origin after a few decades -both in crossregion regressions for various periods, and in a panel setting with region fixed effects. These results are robust to the inclusion of a variety of controls, and across multiple specifications. We also find that immigrants who themselves became French citizens achieved lower fertility, particularly those who moved to French regions with the lowest fertility levels. We interpret these findings in terms of cultural remittances, consistently with insights from a theoretical framework where migrants act as vectors of cultural diffusion, spreading new information, social norms and preferences pertaining to modern fertility to their regions of origin. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:psewpa:halshs-04721328 |
| By: | Di Gioacchino, Debora; Ghignoni, Emanuela; Verashchagina, Alina |
| Abstract: | The prolonged career break around childbirth is one of the reasons behind large motherhood penalties in terms of pay and employment opportunities. We aim to understand what is driving the duration of career break in Italy, where it often remains longer than the five-month obligatory maternity leave. The theoretical model proposed describes trade-offs about career, fertility and time devoted to children, allowing for heterogeneity in women's education and preferences for parenting versus career. This preference is an individual characteristic which can be influenced by social norms and gender stereotypes. By relying on PLUS 2014 and 2021 surveys, we test model predictions and reveal an interesting shift: while a decade ago women characterised by higher parenting priority seemed to be more exposed to the risk of dropping out from the labour market, nowadays the desire to have kids appears to go side by side with the desire to maintain paid employment. We interpret this as a course for economic independence on the side of Italian women, especially the more educated, probably related to a shift in their priorities from parenting towards work and career. Further analysis is proposed to understand how the prevailing social norms and local characteristics could impact on career break and labour market participation. |
| Keywords: | Career break, Female labour force participation, Italy |
| JEL: | D10 J13 J22 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1564 |
| By: | Aliakbar Akbaritabar (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); José Ignacio Carrasco Armijo (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); Athina Anastasiadou (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany) |
| Abstract: | Reviews of migration theories start from more classical and deterministic views and follow with more recent developments that consider networks, cumulative causation, planned behaviour, agency, and aspiration/capability frameworks. One of the less discussed dimensions is gender differences in how one’s network affects their migration decision before, during, and after migration. In this chapter, we intend to provide an overview and critically delve into the literature discussing the network’s effect on international migration and show the underexplored dimension of gender differences. The chapter has an additional focus on a subset of the highly-skilled population i.e., the case of migration of scholars, and is concluded by avenues for future research. |
| Keywords: | Global, World, computational demography, computational social science, gender, internal migration, international migration, network, sex, social network |
| JEL: | J1 Z0 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2025-004 |
| By: | Silvia H. Barcellos; Leandro Carvalho; Kenneth Langa; Sneha Nimmagadda; Patrick Turley |
| Abstract: | There is little causal evidence on factors that can protect individuals against Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) risk. We study the causal effect of education on ADRD, exploiting a regression discontinuity generated by a compulsory schooling reform. ADRD was ascertained based on medical history, hospital records, and death registries, addressing concerns about selective sample attrition. We find that education reduces incidence of ADRD and may delay its onset. Using molecular genetic data, we show that the reform weakened the relationship between genetics and ADRD incidence, implying this genetic risk is not immutable and can be modified by social policy. |
| JEL: | I1 I2 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33430 |