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on Gender |
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Issue of 2024–12–02
five papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Olsson, Maria (Norwegian Business School (BI)); Nordström Skans, Oskar (Uppsala University) |
| Abstract: | We study how local bargaining institutions affect the within-job gender wage gap among Swedish blue collar workers. Collective agreements with varying degrees of local flexibility tend to cover blue-collar workers across different occupations within the same firm. As a consequence, workers performing the same tasks but in different firms are covered by different agreements. We show that the gender pay gap is substantially reduced in jobs covered by collective agreements that guarantee each worker a minimum pay raise every year. Bargaining constraints have a greater impact on gender equality in settings where females are underrepresented. Effects are smaller in more productive firms as these firms can share rents above the contractual minimum with less constraints, even when formal contracts are rigid. Overall, the results suggest that the specifics of local bargaining institutions can play an important role in shaping gender wage disparities among low-paid workers. |
| Keywords: | gender equality, collective bargaining, unions |
| JEL: | J52 J51 J31 J16 |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17381 |
| By: | Francesca Truffa; Ashley Wong |
| Abstract: | Can diversity lead to greater research focus on populations underrepresented in science? Between 1960 and 1990, 76 all-male US universities transitioned to coeducation. Using a generalized difference-in-differences design, we find that coeducation led to a 44% increase in gender-related research publications. This increase is driven by research focused on female subjects and gender differences. While coeducation led to a compositional shift with more women and researchers interested in gender topics, much of the increase comes from male incumbent researchers shifting their research focus toward gender-related topics. The results support interaction with more diverse students and peers as key underlying mechanisms. |
| Keywords: | gender diversity, direction of innovation, scientific research |
| JEL: | J16 O31 O34 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11294 |
| By: | Paola Azar (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Alina Machado (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía) |
| Abstract: | Unlike developed countries, male and female university graduates in Uruguay are equally sorted into the fields of accountancy, business and economics. In turn, as in those regions, these people begin their labor market tracks with similar academic characteristics and labor positions. But, does this imply they develop convergent career paths? Using data on academic and labor market performance of cohorts graduated in 2012, we apply ordered probit models to analyze gender differences in job positions at graduation and subsequent years. We find that gender does not account for differences either in university marks or in time to degree or job positions at graduation and 4 years later. However, it emerges as a strong predictor of job positions 7 years afterwards. At that stage, the chances of reaching the upper ranked jobs is 10 percentage points higher for men than for women while female probabilities of achieving higher positions are even lower when children are present. Besides, soon after degree, women have a significantly lower probability than men of full-time working and show a greater appreciation of job stability and free time. |
| Keywords: | Graduates, Economics, Gender, Business, Labor market career |
| JEL: | J16 J24 J45 |
| Date: | 2024–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-10-24 |
| By: | Wielgoszewska, Bożena (University College London); Bryson, Alex (University College London); Joshi, Heather (University College London); Wilkinson, David (University College London) |
| Abstract: | Working from home (wfh) has seen a rise in prevalence, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it is widely believed that wfh enables employees to better combine paid work with domestic duties, potentially enhancing work-life balance, emerging evidence suggests that it may also hinder career advancement and adversely affect mental health, with notable impacts on women. We employ longitudinal data from three British Cohort Studies, collected one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, to investigate the characteristics of those who report working from home and the relationship with gender disparities in hourly wages, mental health, and well-being. Using longitudinal data also allows us to control for cohort members' labour market situation prior to the pandemic, thereby helping to isolate the pandemic's effects. Our findings indicate that individuals who work from home typically receive higher wages compared to those who work from employers' premises, but the gender wage gap is most pronounced among those who work from home. Furthermore, consistent with the flexibility paradox, our analysis reveals that women who work from home - particularly those who work hybrid - experience the most detrimental mental health outcomes. |
| Keywords: | gender, employment, remote working, working from home, hourly earnings, mental health, COVID-19 |
| JEL: | E51 G21 G28 I2 J16 R51 |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17405 |
| By: | Sharma, Karmini (Imperial College London Business School) |
| Abstract: | Sexual harassment awareness training is a key tool to combat sexual harassment, which affects nearly 205 million people in the workplace (ILO, 2022). This paper provides the first randomized evaluation of such training in collaboration with colleges in Delhi, India, to study its impact on sexual harassment. I randomly assigned men to receive this training, with empathy-building, and collected reports of sexual harassment from women in their classes. The training significantly reduced sexual harassment for up to 3 years and altered men's perceptions of social disapproval more than their intrinsic attitudes. It also led to a long-lasting reduction in classroom romantic relationships. A mechanism experiment suggests this is due to women finding it difficult to judge men's quality when social disapproval generates a pooling equilibrium. A similar intervention for women had no detectable effects. Finally, men's training increased women's labor market engagement without affecting their mental well-being or test scores. |
| Keywords: | Gender, sexual harassment, deterrence, beliefs JEL Classification: D91, J16, J28, K42, O12 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:728 |