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on Gender |
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Issue of 2025–01–27
five papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Haag, Lucy; Oberrauch, Luis; Brahm, Taiga; Biewen, Martin |
| Abstract: | Economic literacy has far-reaching consequences on savings and investments and ultimately affects individual financial well-being. Several studies report a gender difference in economic literacy in favor of males, disadvantaging women and posing a threat to gender equality. However, there is limited evidence addressing the factors underlying the gender gap. Using a representative sample of German high school students (N=1, 958), we investigate gender differences in students’ economic literacy. Additionally, we examine potential explanatory factors for the gap that have been reported in previous studies focusing more narrowly on financial literacy and personal finance. Results confirm a substantial gender gap in economic literacy favoring boys (0.25 SD). Regression models and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analyses reveal math ability and interest in economics as important drivers for the gender gap. Self-efficacy and risk aversion are further factors accounting for the gap while most socialization variables appear to have little relevance. Including effort as a control variable increases the gap, suggesting that the gap may have been underestimated in previous studies that did not consider this factor. Our study provides important implications for policy interventions to mitigate the gender gap in economic literacy. |
| Keywords: | Economic Literacy, Gender Gap |
| JEL: | A21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:308430 |
| By: | Biasi, Paola (International Social Security Association); De Paola, Maria (University of Calabria); Gioia, Francesca (University of Milan) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the influence of the male breadwinner norm on fathers' decisions regarding childcare responsibilities. We study the complex interplay between economic factors and gender norms in shaping the division of household labor within families by analyzing the impact a breadwinning mother has on fathers' choices regarding paternity leave (fully subsidized) and parental leave (partially or not subsidized). We exploit administrative data, provided by the Italian National Security Institute (INPS), including demographic and working characteristics of both parents together with information on the use of paternity and parental leave by fathers in the 2013-2023 period. We find that, in line with the "doing gender" hypothesis, when the leave is fully subsidized, as for paternity leave, fathers are less likely to engage in childcare when their wives earn more than they do. In contrast, this dynamic does not apply in cases of parental leave, where the economic costs of aligning with the gender norm are substantial. The effects we find are robust when replacing the actual probability of there being an out-earning mother with the potential probability and are amplified by the salience of the gender identity norm. |
| Keywords: | paternity leave, parental leave, gender identity norms |
| JEL: | D10 J12 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17601 |
| By: | Martinez, Tomás R. (Insper, São Paulo); Martins-Neto, Antonio (World Bank); Mello, Ursula (Insper, São Paulo) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents ten new facts on gender and top lifetime earnings inequality in Brazil, drawing on rich administrative data covering nearly the entire formal labor market from 1985 to 2018. We document significant gender disparities in lifetime earnings, particularly among top earners, where women are both underrepresented and face larger earnings gaps compared to men. We identify key drivers of this inequality, including labor force participation, occupational segregation, employment in large firms, and job-switching patterns. Public sector employment partially mitigates these gaps. |
| Keywords: | life cycle earnings inequality, gender earnings gap, top earners |
| JEL: | D33 J01 J30 J45 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17602 |
| By: | Cygan-Rehm, Kamila; Westphal, Matthias |
| Abstract: | This paper replicates and extends the evidence on the lifetime effects of school starting age on earnings by Fredriksson and Öckert (2014) for Sweden. Using German data for individuals born between 1945 and 1965, we examine a more rigid system of ability tracking in secondary education, a potential driver of longterm effects. We confirm negligible effects of later school entry for men and positive effects for women. These gender differences arise despite similar effects on educational attainment. By unfolding the gender gaps over the lifecycle and assessing fertility directly, delaying motherhood seems a plausible mechanism behind the results. |
| Abstract: | Dieses Papier repliziert und erweitert die Erkenntnisse über die Auswirkungen des Einschulungsalters auf das Einkommen im Lebensverlauf, die von Fredriksson und Öckert (2014) für Schweden dokumentiert wurden. Unter Verwendung deutscher Daten für die Geburtsjahrgänge 1945 bis 1965 untersuchen wir das rigide deutsche Bildungssystem, in dem Kinder früh nach ihrem Leistungsniveau auf verschiedene Schultypen aufgeteilt werden. Diese Aufteilung ist aus- geprägter als in Schweden und könnte ein potenzieller Treiber für langfristige Effekte sein. Wir bestätigen vernachlässigbare Einkommenseffekte einer späteren Einschulung für Männer und positive Effekte für Frauen. Diese geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede treten trotz ähnlicher Effekte auf das Bildungsniveau auf. Ein signifikanter Aufschub der Erstgeburt durch relativ ältere Schulanfängerinnen scheint ein plausibler Mechanismus hinter den positiven Arbeitsmarkteffekten für Frauen zu sein. |
| Keywords: | School starting age, lifetime effects, education, gender gaps |
| JEL: | I21 I24 I26 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:308808 |
| By: | Andrea Caria |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the causal impact of Italy’s transition from analog to digital terrestrial television on fertility rates, exploiting the staggered rollout between 2008 and 2012 as a natural experiment. Employing a difference-in-differences analysis and a doubly robust estimator, I find a statistically significant negative effect of digital terrestrial television adoption on fertility, particularly pronounced in urban, progressive areas characterized by low pre-treatment fertility, fewer young couples with children, higher population density, and taxpayers. While a simple time substitution effect (between television viewing and reproductive activities) is unlikely to be the primary driver, evidence suggests that digital terrestrial television facilitated more individualized viewing experiences through increased household television ownership. The findings point to a significant shift in gender roles following digital terrestrial television adoption: I observe an increase in female labor force participation and a more equitable division of domestic work, with men undertaking a larger share of lighter household tasks. |
| Keywords: | reproductive decisions, digital terrestrial television, media influence, difference-in-differences analysis |
| JEL: | J13 J16 L82 C23 D83 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11591 |