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on Gender |
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Issue of 2026–06–15
four papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Riccarda Rosenball (Department of Economics, University of Graz); Tobias Eibinger (Department of Economics, University of Graz); Joern Kleinert (Department of Economics, University of Graz); Ismir Mulalic (Department of Economics, Copenhagen Business School) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the role of occupational segregation in shaping gender differences in firm sorting and wages. We show theoretically and in simulations that standard AKM models that omit occupations misattribute part of occupation-specific wage premia to worker and firm effects, thereby inflating the gender pay gap. Using Danish register data, we find that accounting for occupations reduces the estimated contribution of firm sorting by up to 30%. Occupational segregation itself is of comparable importance to firm sorting in explaining the gender gap. Our findings suggest that gender differences in firm sorting are closely linked to occupational and industry segregation. |
| Keywords: | wages, gender wage inequality, occupational segregation, AKM |
| JEL: | J16 J70 J81 |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:grz:wpaper:2026-11 |
| By: | Whelan, Adele (Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin); Brosnan, Luke (Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin); McGuinness, Seamus (Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin) |
| Abstract: | We analyse the gender gap in digital skills use at work across Europe. We find a substantial gap, with women significantly less likely to perform advanced digital tasks. A raw gender gap of around 16 percentage points is observed, of which only 30 per cent is attributable to observable factors. Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions using unconditional decile regressions reveal that the gap is most pronounced at the upper end of the digital intensity distribution, where women are substantially underrepresented. The explained component of the gender digital skills gap increases with digital task intensity, suggesting that access to highly digital jobs is shaped by gendered educational and occupational sorting. However, persistent unexplained gaps from intermediate levels indicate potential structural, cultural, or other organisational barriers at play. Furthermore, we find that younger women already face larger gaps in advanced digital skill use than older workers, suggesting that it is not a legacy issue. |
| Keywords: | digitalisation, digital skills gap, gender inequality, labour markets, technological change, task-based analysis, decomposition analysis, inclusive growth |
| JEL: | J16 J24 O33 I25 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18675 |
| By: | MA, Xinxin; HAN, Jiachen; LI, Shi |
| Abstract: | This study uses national survey data from the Chinese Household Income Project from 2002, 2013, and 2023 and constructs an indicator of non-routine task intensity to examine the influence of task-based factors on the gender wage gap (GWG) in China. We employ decomposition methods to explore the two channels through which tasks influence the GWG. The results indicate that the wage premium for non-routine tasks is higher for women than for men, and several robustness checks support this conclusion. The gender differences in the non-routine task wage premium differ by age and education groups, and across the wage distribution. The decomposition results suggest that gender disparities in wage premiums for non-routine tasks (price effect) helped to narrow the GWG in the three sample periods, while their effects decreased from 2002 to 2023. The gender differences in the allocation of non-routine tasks (endowment effect) widened the GWG in 2002 and 2023 and narrowed it in 2013. Additionally, both the endowment and price effects on GWG differ across the wage distribution in each period. |
| Keywords: | non-routine task, gender wage gap (GWG), wage premium, China |
| JEL: | J31 J71 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hit:hituec:779 |
| By: | Britto, Diogo (Bocconi University); De Holanda, Caio (University of California, Berkeley); Ferman, Bruno (Sao Paulo School of Economics, FGV); Fonseca, Alexandre (Federal Revenue of Brazil); Sampaio, Breno (Universidade Federal de Pernambuco); Warwar, Lucas (Stanford University) |
| Abstract: | Does parenthood impair workers’ on-the-job productivity? We study this question and its implications for understanding the child penalties in employment observed for mothers. We focus on judges, a profession that helps overcome key empirical challenges: output can be measured precisely, it can be observed for all workers before and after childbirth because virtually no parent leaves the profession, and workloads are evenly distributed, limiting scope for selective task allocation. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find no evidence that mothers’ -- and fathers’ -- output declines during pregnancy or after they return from parental leave, and we can rule out moderate declines. We validate this result using a broad set of measures capturing both the quantity and quality of judicial work, and we document similar patterns for self-employed labor lawyers. Our findings show that motherhood need not reduce on-the-job productivity and suggest that, at least in some contexts, child penalties in employment may not be driven by lasting declines in on-the-job productivity. |
| Keywords: | child penalty, productivity, gender gap |
| JEL: | J16 J24 J31 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18658 |