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on Gender |
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Issue of 2024‒09‒09
ten papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Doux Baraka Kusinza (University of Namur) |
| Abstract: | American men experience higher premature death than women, while women are more likely to experience poverty throughout their lifetimes.These gender inequalities are substantially different across racial groups. Based on these facts, I explore in this paper two complementary questions. First, what is the most disadvantaged gender group when combining poverty and mortality data ? Second, are there racial disparities in the pattern of gender in equalities in total deprivation ? This study uses the generated deprivation index, a novel indicator that aggregates poverty and mortality as components of total deprivation, to answer those questions. Two main conclusions emerge. First, since the 1990s, men and women have been experiencing very similar total deprivation rates, whereas, before then, men were more deprived than women. The reduction of the gender gap in mortality combined with the lack of significant progress in gender inequality in income poverty resulted in a steeper decline in total deprivation among men. Second, this near gender equality in total deprivation hides sizable disparities across races.The gender gap against women is higher for Hispanics and Blacks compared to Whites Non-Hispanics. This finding suggests that women in Minorities face more severe racial penalties than men. |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nam:defipp:2404 |
| By: | Diehl, Claudia; Lang, Julia; Strauß, Susanne; Brüggemann, Ole |
| Abstract: | This paper examines gender differences in perceptions of the fairness of one's own pay. Theoretically, we draw on two so far separate strands of literature, on women's alleged greater tolerance for lower wages ("contented female worker paradox"), and on perceived discrimination among ethnic minorities ("integration paradox"). Empirically, we depart from previous studies by not simply assessing whether women are as likely as men to perceive their pay as unfair. Instead, we use an innovative methodology based on linked employer-employee data from about 500 German firms. This makes it possible to validate subjective perceptions of (un)fair pay by comparing them to the actual (un)fairness of someone's pay. The latter is measured as the difference between one's own pay and the predicted pay of comparable others with the same individual, job, and firm-related characteristics. Overall, women are as likely as men to perceive a fair wage as unfair - or an unfair wage as fair. However, university-educated women are somewhat less likely than men to perceive their pay as fair when they earn less than comparable employees. They might be more aware of the societal debate about gender discrimination and "aim higher" in setting their aspirations for appropriate rewards for their skills. |
| Keywords: | gender inequality, discrimination, women, income, work |
| JEL: | J16 J31 J71 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:cexwps:300840 |
| By: | Francesco Capozza |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates beliefs concerning the gender gap in salary negotiations (GGSN) in a sample of 4, 300 women, 1, 000 men, and 105 HR managers residing in the U.S. The respondents believe in the existence of the GGSN, yet they misperceive its magnitude. Providing respondents with accurate information changes their beliefs about it. However, this does not lead to either an increased demand to join a salary negotiation course or a higher willingness-to-pay to get salary information. The analysis of the competing mental models that women hold reveals that the likely mechanism is the perceived backlash that they may experience from employers if they engage in salary negotiations. Finally, a survey of HR managers suggests that they view negotiating women as facing worse consequences in the workplace than negotiating men. |
| Keywords: | beliefs, mental models, perceived backlash, negotiation, gender |
| JEL: | C93 D83 D91 J16 M52 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11228 |
| By: | Elisa Failache (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Noemí Katzkowicz (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Cecilia Parada (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Martina Querejeta (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Tatiana Rosá (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Facultad de Economía y Administración. Departamento de Economía) |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s lives in several domains. This study provides evidence of the pandemic’s gendered effects on university enrollment and major choices. Using novel administrative records of university students in Uruguay, we conduct a counterfactual exercise that demonstrates a negative correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and university enrollment. Heterogeneities across fields reveal a positive effect on enrollment in Social Sciences, yet null or even negative effects in Health and Science. These results are driven by male students. For women, we observe an increase in enrollment, particularly in Science. Notably, women are more likely to opt for Science-related majors over Social Sciences. Our results suggest that the recent crisis helped reduce the gender gap in major choices. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, University enrollment, Major choices, Educational gender gap |
| JEL: | I23 J16 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-05-24 |
| By: | Strauß, Susanne; Brüggemann, Ole Jakob; Lang, Julia |
| Abstract: | Previous research has shown that gender pay gaps are perceived as fair or justified, not only by men but also by women. In this paper we analyse whether this gender bias in the evaluation of fair wages still persists and whether the organizational context has an impact on fairness perceptions. We use unique data from a vignette study that was part of a representative online survey of 5, 556 employees in 532 larger firms (> 100 employees) in Germany which are merged to administrative data. This allows us to consider different contextual factors at both the workgroup level and the firm level. In contrast to older studies we find that women tend to evaluate wages of female workers as unfairly too low. Moreover, the perception of (un)fair wages depends on the organizational context. Female supervisors and collective bargaining agreements in firms increase women's awareness for other women's unfairly too low wages, whereas an exchange about wages with co-workers affects the fairness perceptions of both male and female workers. |
| Keywords: | Gender inequality, wages, fairness, organizational context, Germany |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:cexwps:300835 |
| By: | Mawdsley, John (HEC Paris); Paolella, Lionel (University of Cambridge- Judge Business School); Durand, Rodolphe (HEC Paris) |
| Abstract: | We offer a rivalry-based perspective of gender diversity as a form of competitive action. We theorize that a firm adjusts its senior-level female representation when they identify business opportunities that may be seized by demonstrating alignment to gender parity expectations. Examining US corporate law firms and potential buyers of their services, we theorize and find that when the buyers of rivals of the focal firm increase their gender diversity, the focal firm responds by increasing its female partner representation. Reinforcing the strategic approach to managing gender diversity, we also show that a focal firm reduces its gender-related response to rivals’ buyers as the opportunity to attract those buyers decreases, and when the focal firm can use racial diversity as a credible substitute for gender diversity. |
| Keywords: | Gender diversity; Competitive positioning; Rivalry; Strategic human capital; Buyer-supplier relationships; Professional service firms |
| JEL: | M14 |
| Date: | 2022–10–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ebg:heccah:1460 |
| By: | Sylvain Dessy; Francesca Marchetta; Roland Pongou; Luca Tiberti |
| Abstract: | The unified growth theory (Galor and Weil, 1996) suggests that a high gender gap in earning power increases fertility rates. This paper presents the first microfounded test of this hypothesis, focusing on the critical age interval where this theory binds. Using household data from rural Madagascar—where restrictive gender norms and reliance on rainfed agriculture are prevalent—we exploit temporal and spatial variations in rainfall deficits at the grid-cell level during the growing season to measure women’s relative economic opportunities. Our analysis, controlling for grid-cell and year-of-birth fixed effects and accounting for the spatial correlation of drought episodes, reveals that drought significantly increases completed fertility only when experienced during adolescence. We show that school dropout among adolescent girls and the widening gender gap in economic opportunities drive this increase. Moreover, drought exposure raises adolescent girls’ marriage hazards and the likelihood of having multiple sex partners, triggering early childbearing, especially in agricultural households without irrigation. This study supports the unified growth theory by linking negative climate shocks to women’s relative earning power and fertility decisions, highlighting the need for policies addressing gender disparities and environmental vulnerabilities. |
| Keywords: | Drought; rainfed Agriculture; Women’s earning power; Completed fertility. |
| JEL: | C12 C13 C14 J12 J13 J16 O12 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2024_14.rdf |
| By: | Francine D. Blau; Lisa M. Lynch |
| Abstract: | This paper provides an overview of what has happened over the past fifty years for women as they worked to break through professional barriers in economics, policy, and institutional leadership. We chart the progress of women in higher education at the college level and beyond and then go on to examine women’s representation at the upper levels of academia, government, law, medicine, and management. We begin our description of trends in 1972 when Title IX was enacted, prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs. The data paint a picture of considerable progress but also persistent inequities. We then go on to consider possible explanations for the continuing gender differences and some of the empirical evidence on the factors identified. |
| JEL: | J0 J01 J10 J16 J2 J21 J24 J7 J70 |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32820 |
| By: | Neugart, Michael; Zaharieva, Anna |
| Abstract: | Empirical studies show that women have lower chances of reaching top management positions, known as the glass‐ceiling effect. To study women's careers, we develop a search and matching model where job ladders consist of three hierarchical levels and workers can progress in the career by means of internal promotions or by transitioning to another firm. Both, formal applications and referral hiring via endogenous social networks can be used for moving between firms. We show that when female workers are minority in the labor market and social link formation is gender‐biased (homophilous), there are too few female contacts in the social networks of their male colleagues. This disadvantage implies that female workers are referred less often and, thereby, become underrepresented in top‐level management positions of firms relative to their fraction in the market. Our main theoretical results are consistent with the empirical evidence based on the German Socio‐Economic Panel. |
| Date: | 2024–07–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:149305 |
| By: | Pia Heckl; Elisabeth Wurm |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the impact of workplace breastfeeding laws on the labor supply of mothers. We exploit a unique setting, when throughout 1998-2009 states in the US introduced laws requiring employers to provide break time and a private room for women to express milk or breastfeed. Our results show an increase in breastfeeding initiation and the probability that a child was breastfed at three and six months after birth. We find that workplace breastfeeding significantly increase maternal employment by 4% when children are in breastfeeding age. |
| Keywords: | female labor supply, breastfeeding, workplace policies |
| JEL: | J08 J13 J16 J18 J22 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11248 |