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on Gender |
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Issue of 2024‒04‒01
ten papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Mourelatos, Evangelos; Zervas, Panagiotis; Lagios, Dimitris; Tzimas, Giannis |
| Abstract: | This paper employs an online real-effort experiment to investigate gender disparities in the selection of individuals into competitive working environments when assisted by artificial intelligence (AI). In contrast to previous research suggesting greater competitiveness among men, our findings reveal that both genders are equally likely to compete in the presence of AI assistance. Surprisingly, the introduction of AI eliminates an 11-percentage-point gender gap, between men and women in our competitive scenario. We also discuss how the gender gap in tournament entry appears to be contingent on ChatGPT selection rather than being omnipresent. Notably, 47% of female participants independently chose to utilize ChatGPT, while 55% of males did the same. However, when ChatGPT was offered by the experimenter-employer, more than 53% of female participants opted for AI assistance, compared to 57% of males, in a gender-neutral online task. This shift prompts a reevaluation of gender gap trends in competition entry rates, particularly as women increasingly embrace generative AI tools, resulting in a boost in their confidence. We rule out differences in risk aversion. The discussion suggests that these behavioral patterns may have significant policy implications, as the introduction of generative AI tools in the workplace can be leveraged to rectify gender disparities. |
| Keywords: | Gender differences, ChatGPT, Competition, Economic experiments |
| JEL: | C90 J16 J71 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1404&r=gen |
| By: | Carvajal, Daniel (Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration); Franco, Catalina (Center for Applied Research (SNF)); Isaksson, Siri (Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration) |
| Abstract: | The promise of generative AI to increase human productivity relies on developing skills to become proficient at it. There is reason to suspect that women and men use AI tools differently, which could result in productivity and payoff gaps in a labor market increasingly demanding knowledge in AI. Thus, it is important to understand if there are gender differences in AI-usage among current students. We conduct a survey at the Norwegian School of Economics collecting use and attitudes towards ChatGPT, a measure of AI proficiency, and responses to policies allowing or forbidding ChatGPT use. Three key findings emerge: first, female students report a significantly lower use of ChatGPT compared to their male counterparts. Second, male students are more skilled at writing successful prompts, even after accounting for higher ChatGPT usage. Third, imposing university bans on ChatGPT use widens the gender gap in intended use substantially. We provide insights into potential factors influencing the AI adoption gender gap and highlight the role of appropriate encouragement and policies in allowing female students to benefit from AI usage, thereby mitigating potential impacts on later labor market outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Artificial intelligence; ChatGTP; gender; education; technology adoption |
| JEL: | I24 J16 J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2024–03–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:nhheco:2024_003&r=gen |
| By: | Choi, Jung Ho (Stanford U); Ierokomos, Surya (Stanford U); Sterling, Adina (Columbia U) |
| Abstract: | The under-representation of women in the technology industry has long been rec- ognized as a concern, and the provision of gender-specific information on job search platforms has emerged as a potential solution. In this research, we study how gender- specific information about employers may improve the search behavior of women on search platforms and lead to better job search outcomes. Through a randomized experiment on a professional job search platform, we find that the inclusion of gender-specific information in employee survey outcomes did not have the expected effects on job search. Instead of boosting job search activity, gender-specific information reduced user engagement on the job search platform, albeit less for women than men. In a follow-on abductive study, we discuss the multiple potential mechanisms affecting our results, and the implications of our findings within the existing literature. |
| JEL: | D63 D83 J16 J62 J64 M12 M21 M41 |
| Date: | 2023–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecl:stabus:4119&r=gen |
| By: | Riedel, Lukas |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the impact of a large expansion of public childcare in Germany on wage inequality. Exploiting regional variation in childcare supply over the 1990s, I show that in regions with stronger increases in childcare, wage inequality among women increased less strongly compared to regions with smaller increases. This is primarily driven by the lower half of the wage distribution and qualitatively similar for full- and part-time workers. Larger expansions in childcare, however, do not contribute to a further closing of the gender wage gap. |
| Keywords: | wage inequality, childcare, gender wage gap |
| JEL: | J13 J16 J31 J82 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:283614&r=gen |
| By: | Kan Nakajima; Yoko Shirasu; Eiji Kodera |
| Abstract: | This study examines the existence of tokenism in Japanese companies after the implementation of corporate governance reforms. We focus on the appointment of female outside directors. The existence of tokenism in corporate boards is an important issue for companies worldwide because it deals with gender diversity in the appointment of board members. Following the Abenomics policy of empowering women, Japan introduced ``Japan's Corporate Governance Code'' (the Code), which included board reforms such as appointing at least two outside directors. Using a quasi-natural experiment, we examine whether tokenism occurs in Japan, a country with a low female participation level in business. Empirical analysis reveals the occurrence of tokenism at the start of the Code¡Çs introduction. Companies appoint two outside directors to meet the formal requirements of the Code. They appoint a male outside director first and a female director later as a token. However, tokenism is not observed when busy female directors with a lot of experience are appointed to the board because they presumably have the expertise and skill. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tcr:wpaper:e201&r=gen |
| By: | Shreya Biswas (Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Hyderabad Campus); Jayati Sarkar (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research); Ekta Selarka (Madras School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper empirically examines the impact of network ties of women directors on firm value and sheds light on the unaddressed issue of whether such ties can serve as one of the channels through which women on board affect firm performance. In doing so, the study also seeks to provide a gendered perspective of the performance effects of interlocking directorates on which empirical evidence is scant. Using a panel of listed firms in India for the period 2010-2020 covering periods of pre and post institution of gender quota on company boards, our study finds that women director connectedness, as captured in select network centrality measures, has a positive and robust effect on firm value. We further find evidence that the positive relationship with firm value is driven by the information advantage and influence of women director networks. Finally, based on a director level analysis, we find that more connected women directors, including those who are independent, contribute to corporate governance through higher meeting attendance, and through their memberships in important committees. The findings of the paper highlight the unique role of women director interlocks in firm governance and performance. |
| Keywords: | Interlocking directors, Firm value, Woman directors, Network centrality, India, Emerging markets |
| JEL: | G32 G34 G38 |
| Date: | 2023–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:igiwpp:2023-016&r=gen |
| By: | Reljic, Jelena; Zezza, Francesco |
| Abstract: | We contribute to the long-standing debate on the Italian North-South divide by assessing the impact of public spending on social infrastructure - including education, healthcare, childcare and social assistance - on the gender employment gap over the last two decades, using a PSVAR analysis. These investments, while not explicitly targeting women, may increase both their labour supply - by reducing the unpaid care work burden - and pro-women labour demand through job creation in care sectors that predominantly employ women. Our research reveals a positive and long-lasting impact of social infrastructure expenditure on private investment, GDP and employment in all areas of the country. However, the reduction of the gender employment gap is detected only in the South and among high-skilled women. These results stress the need for targeted policies to fill the investment gaps in social infrastructure, aiming for a more inclusive labour market, particularly in Southern regions, which suffer from chronic underinvestment and structural challenges. |
| Keywords: | Social infrastructure, Gender inequality, Fiscal Policy, Panel SVAR, Italian regions |
| JEL: | C33 E24 H30 J16 J18 J21 R58 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1407&r=gen |
| By: | Sologon, Denisa Maria (LISER (CEPS/INSTEAD)); Doorley, Karina (Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin); O'Donoghue, Cathal (National University of Ireland, Galway); Peluso, Eugenio (University of Luxembourg) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the gendered effects of the cost-of-living crisis on households across six European countries using household consumption data linked to price changes between April 2021 and July 2023. It examines how different consumption patterns between male- and female-headed households influence their exposure to inflation. Exploring the full distribution of inflation rates, employing quantile regressions and a decomposition approach, this research uncovers gender-specific disparities in inflation exposure and inequality. Going beyond the immediate economic index adjustments, it also evaluates the welfare changes attributable to inflation by estimate a behaviourally-adjusted welfare effect of the cost-of-living crisis. Building on the foundational Atkinson welfare measure, this paper innovates by decomposing the change in welfare into equity and efficiency components, differentially for male- and female-headed households. This contribution enriches the consumption literature by providing a detailed gendered analysis of inflation's distributional and welfare effects, aiding policymakers in addressing the nuanced challenges of the cost-of-living crisis. |
| Keywords: | inflation and gender, inflation inequality and gender, distributional effect and gender, welfare effect and gender |
| JEL: | D12 D31 D60 E31 I30 J16 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16820&r=gen |
| By: | Aldén, Lina (Linnéuniversitet); Boschini, Anne (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University); Tallås Ahlzén, Malin (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University) |
| Abstract: | Despite multiple reforms aimed at encouraging fathers to take parental leave, a significant portion of fathers still choose not to take any leave. In this paper, we exploit quasi-experimental variation in parental leave reforms and in gender norms to provide a causal analysis of how the group of fathers with no parental leave uptake has changed over time using high-quality Swedish register data. To account for selection into fatherhood and general trends in the population of fathers, we study differences in traits relative to the average father. We find that while some of the non-leave taking fathers have poor health or criminal convictions, they are not very different in this regard from the total population of fathers. Instead, we observe a clear trend indicating that the non-leave taking fathers are increasingly facing economic constraints in terms of having a low income and earning less than the mother. We show that the fathers with weak labor market attachment are the least compliant with parental leave quotas and present suggestive evidence that non-leave taking fathers and mothers in couples with such fathers have become more likely to conform to traditional gender norms. The results suggest that reforms reserving additional months for each parent will have a limited impact on the fathers who do not take any parental leave. Instead, policies may need to target the lack of economic resources or gender norms of both the father and the mother. |
| Keywords: | men; parental leave; gender norms; fathers quota |
| JEL: | D13 J13 J16 J18 |
| Date: | 2023–11–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:sofiwp:2023_011&r=gen |
| By: | Adriana R. Cardozo Silva; Yuliya Kosyakova; Aslıhan Yurdakul |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the gender-specific impact of settlement policies on the labor market integration of refugees in Germany, utilizing a gender-specific approach. Analyzing data from the IAB- BAMF-SOEP Refugees Survey (2016-2020) through a pooled logit model with an intention-to-treat design, we explore how restrictive residency obligation policies, in conjunction with local conditions in the assigned county—such as local labor market conditions and ethnic enclaves – influence outcomes. Results reveal that female refugees experience reduced employment prospects, independent of mobility restrictions, while the residency obligation policy bears a significant negative impact on employed male refugees. In turn, the impact of analyzed local labor market characteristics and linguistic enclaves on employment probability remains consistent across gender and residency obligation. Our results highlight the multidimensional nature of refugees’ labor market integration and underscore the significance of gender-sensitive approaches. |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp1203&r=gen |