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on Gender |
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Issue of 2025–05–12
seven papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Seoyeon Chang (School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University); Sonoko Ishikawa (School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University); Naoki Miyamoto (School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University); Ryo Takahashi (Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: | This study examines whether gender bias in health communication reduces the effectiveness of information provision and explores the mechanism behind it. Specifically, it investigates whether the bias is driven by statistical discrimination—misperceptions about women’s competence—or by tastebased discrimination. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in Cambodia, where participants watched a video featuring either a male or female health instructor explaining the benefits of iron supplements for anemia prevention. To test the mechanism, half of those assigned to the female instructor condition received a corrective message addressing misperceptions about women’s abilities. The results show that willingness to pay for the supplement was significantly lower when the information was delivered by a female instructor, but this gap disappeared when the corrective message was provided. Similar patterns were observed in a list experiment measuring implicit bias. These findings suggest that gender bias reduces the effectiveness of health communication and is primarily driven by misperceptions about women’s competence rather than by taste-based discrimination. |
| Keywords: | anemia, gender bias, discrimination, misperception, list experiment |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wap:wpaper:2501 |
| By: | Firouzi Naeim, Peyman (University of Technology, Sydney); Johnston, David W. (Monash University); Naghsh Nejad, Maryam (University of Technology, Sydney) |
| Abstract: | Parental caregiving responsibilities can disrupt paid work, contributing to persistent gender inequalities in employment and earnings. Using Australian employer-employee linked data and a dynamic difference-in-differences approach, this study examines how workplace environments shape the impacts of caregiving shocks, focusing on working parents of children diagnosed with cancer. Mothers experience large and persistent earnings losses, while fathers’ outcomes remain stable. Supportive firms and occupations, defined by high female representation in senior roles and lower work hour intensity, significantly reduce mothers’ earnings penalties. These findings highlight the important role of workplace conditions in reducing gendered economic costs of caregiving. |
| Keywords: | workplace, gender gap, child health, caregiving, earnings |
| JEL: | J13 J16 J22 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17850 |
| By: | Goulas, Sofoklis (Brookings Institution); Megalokonomou, Rigissa (Monash University); Sotirakopoulos, Panagiotis (affiliation not available) |
| Abstract: | We examine teachers’ perceptions toward top performing students and their role model influence on others in an online survey-based experiment. We randomly expose teachers to profiles of top performing students and inquire whether they consider the profiled top performers to be influential role models. These profiles varied by gender and field of study (STEM or Non-STEM). Our findings show that teachers perceive top-performing girls as more influential peer role models compared to boys (?= 0.289; p |
| Keywords: | teacher gender stereotypes, randomized controlled trial, peer role models, STEM |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J16 D83 C90 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17733 |
| By: | Louis-Pierre Lepage; Xiaomeng Li; Basit Zafar |
| Abstract: | We study whether gender differences in university major choices result from anticipated labor market discrimination. First, we document two novel facts using administrative transcript records from a large Midwestern university: women are less likely to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well as business and economics, but 1) those who do are positively selected on ability, and 2) obtain higher grades conditional on ability. Second, we show that these facts are consistent with a signaling model in which women anticipate greater labor market discrimination in STEM, business, and economics than in other fields. Third, we provide direct empirical evidence of anticipated discrimination using a student survey. The survey reveals striking patterns of anticipated discrimination by women, particularly in STEM, business, and economics, affecting both expected economic outcomes such as wages as well as expected workplace conditions. We conclude by showing that anticipated discrimination explains women's course taking and intended major choices, but not men's. |
| JEL: | I23 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33680 |
| By: | Borghans, Lex (Maastricht University); Diris, Ron (University of Leiden); Tavares, Manuela (Young Women from Minorities) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we identify the contribution of differences in test effort to gender gaps and socioeconomic gaps in achievement. We leverage question response time and random question order to obtain causal estimates of the effect of student effort on performance. Subsequently, we evaluate how differences in performance change when students would have made equal time investments. We find that effort explains around 25 percent of the socioeconomic gap in math and reading. For gender, correcting for effort closes around 18 percent of the reading gap while it increases the advantage of boys in math. Looking at average achievement, gender differences in effort can explain 49 percent of the gender achievement gap. We also show that the returns to response time are strongly underestimated by fixed effects models. |
| Keywords: | education economics, achievement gaps, student effort, instrumental variables |
| JEL: | I21 I24 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17734 |
| By: | Brenøe, Anne Ardila (University of Zurich); Krenk, Ursa (University of Zurich); Steinhauer, Andreas (University of Edinburgh); Zweimüller, Josef (University of Zurich) |
| Abstract: | How do firms adjust their labor demand when a female employee takes temporary leave after childbirth? Using Austrian administrative data, we compare firms with and without a birth event and exploit policy reforms that significantly altered leave durations. We find that (i) firms adjust hiring, employment, and wages around leave periods, but these effects fade quickly; (ii) adjustments differ sharply by gender, reflecting strong gender segregation within firms; (iii) longer leave entitlements extend actual leave absences but have only short-term effects; and (iv) there is no impact on firm closure up to five years after birth. |
| Keywords: | absence duration, gender, labor demand, labor supply, firms, family leave |
| JEL: | H2 H5 J2 J08 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17845 |
| By: | Lekfuangfu, Warn N. (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Olivera, Javier (National Bank of Belgium); Van Kerm, Philippe (University of Luxembourg) |
| Abstract: | Drawing on two data sources from across Europe, we show that both bequest motives of parents and children’s gender composition shape unequal divisions of bequests. First, the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe reveals that observed bequests are divided unequally when children differ in sex, caregiving, or income, with bequest motives strongest among mixed-sex children. Second, in a vignette experiment featuring alternative bequest motive scenarios and randomised gender compositions for two fictitious children, hypothetical bequests are most unequally divided under the exchange motive while children’s gender composition matters more under the altruistic motive. Fictitious parents favour daughters regardless of deservingness, granting the highest bequest share to a deserving daughter with a brother. In return, these patterns reinforce traditional gender norms. |
| Keywords: | altruism, deservingness, vignette experiment, gender, intergenerational transfers, bequest, exchange, Europe, HFCS, SHARE |
| JEL: | H24 D31 D63 E62 H53 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17833 |