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on Gender |
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Issue of 2024‒09‒02
seven papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Emilia Brito; Jesse Bruhn; Thea How Choon; E. Anna Weber |
| Abstract: | How does gender composition influence individual and group behavior? To study this question empirically, we assembled a new, national sample of United States city council elections and digitized information from the minutes of over 40, 000 city-council meetings. We find that replacing a male councilor with a female councilor results in a 25p.p. increase in the share of motions proposed by women. This is despite causing only a 20p.p. increase in the council female share. The discrepancy is driven, in part, by behavioral changes similar to those documented in laboratory-based studies of gender composition. When a lone woman is joined by a female colleague, she participates more actively by proposing more motions. The apparent changes in behavior do not translate into clear differences in spending. The null finding on spending is not driven by strategic voting; however, preference alignment on local policy issues between men and women appears to play an important role. Taken together, our results both highlight the importance of nominal representation for cultivating substantive participation by women in high-stakes decision making bodies; and also provide evidence in support of the external validity of |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bro:econwp:2024-002 |
| By: | Luo , Wei (Jinan University); Huang, Wei (Peking University); Park, Albert (Asian Development Bank) |
| Abstract: | We study the influence of social norms in determining the impact of early life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine of 1959–1961 on gender inequality. We model how social norms interact with adverse shocks to affect male and female survival chances and influence subsequent human capital investments. We test these predictions empirically by using the Fifth National Population Census of the People’s Republic of China in 2000 that has information on birthplace and estimate a difference-in-differences model that combines cohort and regional variation in exposure to the famine with regional variation in the culture of son preference. We find that son preference buffers the negative impact of intrauterine famine shocks on cohort male-to-female sex ratios and reduces famine’s impact on gender inequality in health and education. |
| Keywords: | famine; son preference; sex ratios; human capital investment |
| JEL: | I24 I26 J13 J16 |
| Date: | 2024–08–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:0738 |
| By: | Mohammad Haroon Asadi; Mohammad Reza Farzanegan; Mohammad Reza Farzanegan |
| Abstract: | This study investigates men's attitudes toward women’s education in Afghanistan, focusing on primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, as well as studying in another province or abroad, through the lens of identity theory and the intra-household bargaining framework. We use data from Afghan surveys conducted by the Asia Foundation from 2014 to 2021 across 34 provinces and apply multivariate regression analysis with a comprehensive set of covariates. Our findings reveal that men’s attitudes toward women's education are predominantly negative, notably in rural areas. However, women's contributions to household income significantly mitigate these negative attitudes, particularly toward secondary education, followed by tertiary education, and studying in other provinces or abroad. Moreover, fear of insecurity in society amplifies the negative attitudes of men toward women’s education. This research underscores the potential of increased financial contributions by women to transform gender attitudes and promote educational equality in Afghanistan. |
| Keywords: | education, gender gap, attitudes, education inequality, security, Afghanistan, survey |
| JEL: | C83 D63 I24 I25 J16 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11244 |
| By: | Jeanne Lafortune; Francisco Pino |
| Abstract: | Previous studies of female suffrage have interpreted the change in voting patterns as reflecting a change in voter composition, in part because only aggregate voting data was available. We exploit the existence of separate counts for women and men votes in Chile before and after female suffrage. We show that inference based on aggregates is inaccurate because men also change their voting behavior. Two potential explanations are provided: men responded to female suffrage through strategic voting and men previously represented in part women's vote due to negotiation within the household. We show evidence consistent with both hypotheses. |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:udc:wpaper:wp560 |
| By: | Carla Rowold (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany) |
| Abstract: | While research emphasized the risk of gendered sample selection bias among the elderly decades ago, the empirical literature on old-age inequalities remains largely unaware of it. This research note addresses this issue by investigating gendered sample selectivity for individuals aged 65 or older employing two common sample criteria: self-reported retirement status and pension receipt in countries covered by the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Findings show that more than half of older women are excluded when these criteria are applied. Gender selection bias varies widely across countries and is less pronounced in post-socialist or social-democratic welfare states. Visualizing work trajectories by sample status reveals that women with long unpaid care work periods and men with high self-employment, unemployment, and extended education levels are particularly likely to be excluded. Studies employing such sample criteria risk underestimating gender inequalities in pensions, health, and life satisfaction. The implications are severe for Southern, conservative, and liberal welfare states, and for cross-country comparisons, where sample bias often goes undetected due to its variability across contexts. While this article cannot offer a universal recommendation for sample definitions, it aims to promote less biased sample conceptualizations in studies of the elderly population. |
| Keywords: | bias, gender, life cycle, old age, pension schemes, retirement, retirement pensions, samples |
| JEL: | J1 Z0 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2024-025 |
| By: | Barbieri, Teresa; Bavaro, Michele; Cirillo, Valeria |
| Abstract: | How does childbirth impact the career paths of men and women within the same household? To what extent does the unpaid care work related to this event contribute to the downward mobility experienced by women in a highly flexible labour market like Italy? Drawing on feminist and labour market studies, this article examines how caregiving responsibilities, particularly childcare, influence downward employment transitions for men and women in couples, specifically from full-time to part-time, from higher-paid to lower-paid jobs, and from employment to unemployment. The study also employs latent class analysis to map out variations in within-household inequality experienced after childbirth among couples. To achieve this, we utilize a unique survey-administrative linked dataset. The findings highlight significant penalties faced by women, not only immediately after childbirth but persisting for up to three years afterwards. Moreover, the latent class analysis reveals a small proportion of pro-female households compared to egalitarian and pro-male classes. |
| Keywords: | Gender pay gaps, occupational downward mobility, gender inequalities, motherhood penalty, micro-econometric analyses |
| JEL: | J13 J16 E24 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1475 |
| By: | Wen, Xin; Cheng, Zhiming; Tani, Massimiliano |
| Abstract: | We explore the link between child gender and household financial decisions within a cultural environment that strongly favours having a son. Using data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), we find that the presence of a daughter is associated with a lower saving rate, consistent with the hypothesis that the relative under-supply of unmarried women generates a less competitive marriage market for families with daughters vs. those with sons. As a result, such families have lower incentives to endow their daughters with bigger asset pools to enhance their marital prospects. The correlation becomes more pronounced as the daughter approaches marriageable age, and it is more common among families where the head has low financial literacy and limited education and lives in rural areas. |
| Keywords: | daughter, household investment decisions, family savings, marriage market |
| JEL: | D14 G11 G51 J12 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1474 |