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on Gender |
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Issue of 2024‒02‒26
nine papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Jana Schuetz (Friedrich Schiller University Jena) |
| Abstract: | I conduct an online survey of 3, 000 respondents in the United States to examine individuals’ beliefs about the gender pension gap. By including an information provision experiment in which treated respondents are informed about the size of the gender pension gap, I examine whether receiving this information causally affects respondents’ perceptions of the fairness and drivers of the gender pension gap and their support for policies aimed at reducing it. I find that most respondents underestimate the gender pension gap and that treated respondents are less likely to perceive the gender pension gap as fair. In addition, treated respondents perceive the unequal distribution of care work and gender differences in wages as more important drivers of the gap, and their demand for remedial policies such as targeted financial education increases significantly. In terms of heterogeneity, I find that female respondents are generally less affected by the treatment than male respondents when asked about their policy views, although the treatment affects male and female respondents’ beliefs and perceptions about the gender pension gap similarly. |
| Keywords: | gender pension gap, survey experiment, information provision, pension reform preferences |
| JEL: | J26 J16 H55 C90 |
| Date: | 2024–01–31 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jrp:jrpwrp:2024-004&r=gen |
| By: | Lee Crawfurd (Center for Global Development); Christelle Saintis-Miller (Center for Global Development); Rory Todd (Center for Global Development) |
| Abstract: | Textbooks play a critical role in schooling around the world. Small sample studies show that many books continue to under-represent women and girls, and to portray men and women in stereotypical gendered roles. In this paper, we use quantitative text analysis to assess the degree of gender bias in a newly assembled corpus of 1, 255 English language school textbooks from 34 countries that are publicly available online. We find consistent patterns of under-representation of female characters and portrayal of stereotypical gendered roles. Women and girls occur less frequently, are portrayed as more passive, are less likely to be associated with work or achievement, and are more likely to be associated with the home and traditionally female occupations. Comparing across countries, female representation in books is correlated with higher GDP and more legal rights for women. |
| Keywords: | Gender, Education, Textbooks |
| JEL: | J16 |
| Date: | 2024–02–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cgd:wpaper:678&r=gen |
| By: | Messina, Julián (Universidad de Alicante); Sanz-de-Galdeano, Anna (Universidad de Alicante); Terskaya, Anastasia (University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | Utilizing comprehensive administrative data from Brazil, we investigate the impact of peer effects on wages, considering both within-gender and cross-gender dynamics. Since the average productivity of both individuals and their peers is unobservable, we estimate these values using worker fixed effects while accounting for occupational and firm sorting. Our findings reveal that within-gender peer effects have approximately twice the influence of cross-gender peer effects on wages for both males and females. Furthermore, we observe a reduction in the disparity between these two types of peer effects in settings characterized by greater gender equality. |
| Keywords: | peer effects, gender, matched employer-employee data, identity, wage determination |
| JEL: | J16 J24 J31 M12 M54 |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16721&r=gen |
| By: | Monisankar Bishnu; S Chandrasekhar; Srinivasan Murali |
| Abstract: | India, on top of having a large gender gap in labour force participation, also experienced a significant decline in participation rate of women in the recent years. In order to understand, and to decompose the gender gap and the decline in female labour force participation into demand and supply side factors, we present an equilibrium joint search model of couples with gender-specific wage offers and home productivities. In this heterogeneous agents setup, our counterfactual exercises show that, gender disparities in labour demand can account for only 6.4% of the level difference, while the differential trends in labour demand can explain around 35% of the decline in female participation over time. We find that the increase in average household income driven by a large increase in male wages compared to female wages, reduced the need for women to supplement the family income, in turn causing them to drop out of the labour force. |
| Keywords: | labour force participation, gender gap, household search, home production |
| JEL: | E24 J22 J64 |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:camaaa:2024-08&r=gen |
| By: | Valentina Paredes; Francisca Perez; Francisco J. Pino; Patricia Olmedo Cortes |
| Abstract: | In this paper we exploit the introduction in February 2018 of a new paid parental leave program to care for a seriously ill child in Chile (SANNA) to identify the role of both economic incentives and gender norms on families' decisions regarding market versus home production specialization. To measure the impact of economic incentives, we utilize the design of the SANNA program, which covers the beneficiary's wages up to a specific threshold, beyond which the benefit remains fixed. The efficient allocation of this benefit depends on the income levels of family members and whether their income exceeds the threshold. To investigate the role of gender norms, we compare the effect of economic incentives among older, more traditional families and younger families. Our results indicate that both gender norms and economic incentives affect parental leave allocation. We estimate that older families pay a cost of USD 1, 200 for adhering to traditional gender norms compared to younger families. |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:udc:wpaper:wp554&r=gen |
| By: | Amanda Agan; Bo Cowgill; Laura Gee |
| Abstract: | Correspondence audit studies have sent almost one-hundred-thousand resumes without informing subjects they are in a study - increasing realism, but without being fully transparent. We study the potential trade-offs of this lack of transparency by running a hiring field experiment with recruiters in a natural setting. One group of recruiters is told they are screening for an employer, and another is told they are part of an academic study. Job applicants' gender is randomly assigned. When subjects are told they are in an experiment, callback rates and willingness-to-pay for male candidates decline relative to female candidates (with no detectable change for female candidates). This suggests that telling subjects they are in an experiment would underestimate gender inequality. |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:feb:natura:00781&r=gen |
| By: | Katarina Gomoryova (Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) |
| Abstract: | Is female leadership the secret ingredient to financial prosperity? This question has been the subject of extensive research, yet the findings remain inconclusive. We aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of this relationship employing contemporary techniques on the up-to-date dataset comprising 1, 131 estimates gathered from 96 distinct studies. We address the pervasive issue of publication bias resulting in the mild preference for positive outcomes. After filtering out this bias, the study finds a negligible mean effect estimate, suggesting that the impact of women in leadership on financial performance is minimal. We further explore the potential factors that could account for variations in the estimated effects across different studies. Utilising Bayesian Model Averaging, weighted by the inverse number of estimates, we identify thirteen significant moderators that influence the relationship under study. Among these, the proportion of female authors, the impact factor of the journal, the duality of the CEO role, and the tenure of leaders are found to exert the most positive influence on the effect. Conversely, the age of leaders pushes effect the most in the opposite direction. Other influential factors include the publication status of the article, the number of variables used in the study, publication bias, the use of random estimation and matching approaches, the use of accounting-based financial measures, focus on the emerging market, and the representation of the leadership variable as a proportion. |
| Keywords: | meta-analysis, publication bias, Bayesian Model Averaging, female leadership, gender diversity, financial performance |
| JEL: | J23 J24 J31 |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2024_06&r=gen |
| By: | Healy, Olivia (Elon University); Heissel, Jennifer A. (Naval Postgraduate School) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores whether and why a maternal "child penalty" to earnings would emerge even without changes in employment and hours worked. Using a matched event study design, we trace monthly changes in determinants of wages (job performance, human capital accumulation, and promotions). Data come from a usefully unusual setting with required multiyear employment and detailed personnel data: the United States Marine Corps. Mothers' job performance initially declines, and gaps in promotion grow through 24 months postbirth. Fathers' physical fitness performance drops somewhat but recovers. These patterns lead mothers to earn relatively lower wages, even absent changes in employment postbirth. |
| Keywords: | parenthood, child penalty, gender wage gap, promotion |
| JEL: | J24 J16 J18 J45 |
| Date: | 2024–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16743&r=gen |
| By: | Virtanen, Hanna; Silliman, Mikko; Kuuppelomäki, Tiina; Huttunen, Kristiina |
| Abstract: | Abstract In response to the wide-ranging consequences of falling fertility rates, governments across high-income countries are considering how to increase rates of family formation. Despite significant scientific interest, there remains limited empirical evidence on how education shapes family choices across the life cycle. We study the effect of educational attainment on family formation using regression discontinuity designs generated by centralized admissions processes to both secondary and tertiary education in Finland. At both margins, admission to further education increases the probability that women form families – i.e. have children or find a partner. For men, our point estimates are near zero for all outcomes, and sometimes negative. These results contrast a common perception that educational attainment makes it harder for women to form families and men more attractive as potential partners. The positive effects on female fertility may be attributed to education improving the compatibility of work and family. Additionally, as higher-order skills are increasingly important in the labor market, and parental inputs are important in shaping these skills, these results align with the notion that education may make women more attractive as potential spouses. |
| Keywords: | Education, Gender, Family formation, Fertility, Cohabiting, Marriage |
| JEL: | J13 I26 |
| Date: | 2024–02–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rif:wpaper:116&r=gen |