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on Gender |
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Issue of 2025–08–18
six papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Xiqian Cai (Xiamen University); Pei Li (Zhejiang University); Qinyue Luo (RFBerlin); Hong Song (Fudan University); Huihua Xie (Zhejiang University) |
| Abstract: | Does gender identity affect judicial decisions? This paper provides novel evidence of in-group gender bias in the judicial decisions for almost all divorce cases in China. Exploiting the effectively random assignment of cases to judges, the analysis finds that female judges are 1.2 percentage points more likely to grant divorce petitions filed by female plaintiffs compared to male plaintiffs, relative to male judges. This bias primarily reflects female judges’ harsher treatment of male plaintiffs. The bias is significantly weaker in regions with stronger traditional gender norms, indicating that conservative cultural attitudes may constrain overt displays of in-group gender favoritism. Institutional legal development has little moderating effect, underscoring the primary role of culture. These findings highlight the importance of complementing efforts to promote judicial diversity with safeguards to detect and mitigate implicit bias. |
| Keywords: | gender, in-group bias, gender discrimination, judicial decisions |
| JEL: | J16 J14 J10 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2523 |
| By: | Okara, Assi; Tani, Massimiliano; Mbaye, Linguère Mously |
| Abstract: | We investigate whether having a daughter in a patriarchal society gives fathers a reason to reject prevailing social norms favouring gender discrimination against women. In particular, we develop a utility (rather than behavioural) model to frame the problem and derive hypotheses that can be empirically tested using cross-sectional data from the Senegal 2023 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). We find that fathering daughters can positively influence men's attitudes toward gender equity. In particular, men with daughters exhibit more positive attitudes toward women compared to their peers without daughters. This finding is robust across various sub-samples, particularly regarding violence-related outcome variables. |
| Keywords: | Men, daughters, perception about women, gender norms, utility |
| JEL: | D63 J16 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1640 |
| By: | Jean-Victor Alipour (LMU Munich, ifo Institute) |
| Abstract: | I study how the rise in working from home (WFH) affects the gender division of paid and unpaid labor (caregiving, domestic tasks). Identification uses differences in individuals' exposure to the Covid-induced WFH shock, measured by the WFH feasibility of their job in 2019. Using panel data from the German SOEP, I estimate 2SLS models that instrument realized WFH in 2022 with WFH feasibility. Results show that WFH reduces paid hours and increases domestic work and leisure (including sleep) among women. Men's time use remains largely unchanged, partly because WFH induces moves toward larger, more distant homes, offsetting commuting time savings. Within-couple analyses confirm that the Big Shift to WFH intensifies gender gaps in paid and unpaid work, particularly caregiving. I find that gender norms, bargaining power, and childcare demands interact with WFH in ways that reinforce the unequal division of labor. |
| Keywords: | work from home; time use; unpaid work; division of labor; gender norms; bargaining power; |
| JEL: | J16 J22 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–08–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rco:dpaper:542 |
| By: | Oriana Bandiera; Amen Jalal; Nina Roussille |
| Abstract: | In countries with low female employment, college educated women often transition directly from education to homemaking. Does this reflect informed, forward-looking choices or unanticipated constraints? We study this question in Pakistan, where two-thirds of college-educated women remain out of the labor force. Tracking 2, 400 students from two major universities, we document labor market expectations before graduation, and realized outcomes in the year that follows. Men and women have similar work aspirations, apply at similar times and rates, and receive comparable numbers of job offers, but women are more likely to reject them. As a result, a 27 pp employment gap emerges within six months. The gap stems largely from timing: for women, there is a critical window, immediately post-graduation, during which job search is associated with much higher chances of employment. There is no such window for men. To test whether this relationship is causal—and anticipated—we randomize a modest incentive to apply early. By shifting students’ search into the critical early window, the intervention raises women’s employment by ~ 20%, but leaves men’s unaffected, closing a third of the gender employment gap. Treatment effects are driven by women who underestimate how quickly marriage market activities arise, revealing an “illusion of time.” |
| JEL: | I25 J16 J21 J64 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34051 |
| By: | Katarzyna Bech - Wysocka (Group for Research in Applied Economics (GRAPE); Warsaw School of Economics); Magdalena Smyk (Group for Research in Applied Economics (GRAPE); Warsaw School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Statistical discrimination theory explains wage differences between demographic groups by referring to differences in group averages or heuristic-based decision-making. This study investigates whether providing employers with accurate information about individual productivity affects wage-setting practices. We replicate a labor market scenario in which employers determine wages based on perceived productivity differences between male and female workers. Our experimental findings suggest that statistical discrimination influences initial wage decisions, but access to individual performance data reduces reliance on group-based heuristics. The dominant strategy when the actual information about performance is to share the resources according to contribution. We observe that in tasks where women statistically outperform, higher-scoring individuals tend to receive slightly less than their proportional contribution, whereas in tasks where men perform better, they tend to receive slightly more than their contribution. Furthermore, we show that with only statistical information, significant gender-based wage discrimination aligned with performance stereotypes occurs, but there is no gender discrimination under full information about performance. Our results contribute to the broader discussion on labour market inequalities and approaches to reducing statistical discrimination. |
| Keywords: | statistical discrimination, productivity, information, gender |
| JEL: | J71 J16 C91 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fme:wpaper:106 |
| By: | Huebener, Mathias (Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB)); Odermatt, Reto (University of Basel) |
| Abstract: | We assess the gendered effects of having children on well-being, careers, and the division of domestic work. As exogenous variation in parenthood, we exploit the quasi-random success of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments. Children increase mothers’ well-being only in the short term, while fathers experience longer-lasting gains. However, only mothers show a persistent decline in labor supply and a rise in domestic work. Their satisfaction with the division of work declines, and they are more likely to perceive it as unfair, implying that the new equilibrium in the division of work deviates from mothers’ preferences. |
| Keywords: | IVF treatment, gender inequality, well-being, parenthood, child penalty |
| JEL: | I31 J13 J16 J22 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18039 |