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on Gender |
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Issue of 2026–04–06
six papers chosen by Jan Sauermann, Institutet för Arbetsmarknads- och Utbildningspolitisk Utvärdering |
| By: | Vorster, Mia (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of France’s 2018 gender pay gap transparency law which implements a 100 point gender equity index and two corrective measure thresholds (firms below 85 must publish an action plan; those below 75 for three years are fined) for firms with more than 50 employees. I use firm-level reports with a regression discontinuity design and event-time study to assess the effectiveness of the thresholds in changing firm behaviour, finding evidence that firms improve their gender equity in order to avoid fines below the 75 threshold. I use an individual-level administrative dataset which I transform into a pseudopanel and a difference-in-difference strategy around the 50 employee threshold to assess the overall impact of the policy, finding a 3.7 percentage point increase in women’s hourly wages relative to men in treated firms. This effect is primary driven by a fall in male wages. |
| Keywords: | Gender Pay Gap ; Pseudo-Panel ; Wage Transparency ; Public Policy ; Gender Pay ; Gap Reporting JEL classifications: J16 ; J78 ; K38 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wrk:wrkesp:93 |
| By: | Emanuele Forlani (University of Pavia); Concetta Mendolicchio (University of Genova); Agnese Sechi (University of Genova) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the gendered effects of trade liberalization on local labor markets in Italy, a country marked by low female labor force participation. Building on recent evidence that trade shocks can exacerbate or mitigate gender inequalities depending on labor market segmentation and institutional context, we examine how exposure to Chinese and Eastern European import competition has affected the labor market in Italy, with a focus on the gender discrepancies. We construct a shift-share measure of import exposure, exploiting variation in pre-existing industry specialization across provinces. Using labor-force survey and trade data with detailed labor market indicators, we assess whether observed gender gaps result from asymmetric dynamics between women and men, and how these patterns vary by sector, contract type, and skills. By providing new empirical evidence and a theoretical framework to interpret these patterns, our findings indicate that trade shocks tend to reinforce existing gender disparities in Italy, with effects concentrated in sectors characterized by high female employment shares and precarious job arrangements. |
| Keywords: | Import competition, labour market, gender inequality |
| JEL: | F14 J21 J16 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pav:demwpp:demwp0233 |
| By: | Muñoz, Ercio; Sansone, Dario; Tampellini Silva, Joao Pedro |
| Abstract: | Using census data from over 500, 000 dual-earner households in Mexico, we show that couples in which the wife earns just above half of the household income are far less common than those in which she earns just below that threshold a pattern that has been attributed to gender norms that create an aversion to wives outearning their husbands. This gap is two to five times larger than documented in the United States and Northern Europe and has grown over the 20002015 period. Unlike findings for the United States and Northern Europe, the discontinuity is not driven by equal earners, self-employed workers, or co-working couples, and persists across married and cohabiting couples, households with and without children, female-headed households, and couples where the wife is the older partner. Extending the analysis to Brazil and Panama, we find comparable patterns, establishing this as a regional rather than country-specific phenomenon. Among female same-sex couples in Mexico, we detect a similar discontinuity, whereas no consistent pattern emerges for male same-sex couples. Even when women are the primary earners, they continue to supply substantially more nonmarket labor than their male partners on average 36 more weekly hours and convergence in household production slows as the wife's income share rises further above the threshold. |
| Keywords: | Participación laboral femenidad;Parejas del mismo sexo;uso del tiempo |
| JEL: | D13 D91 J12 J15 J16 O15 Z13 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14545 |
| By: | Ueno, Yuko (Hitotsubashi University); Usui, Emiko (Hitotsubashi University) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates gender differences in labor market outcomes among highly educated individuals in Japan, emphasizing heterogeneity by fields of study, with a focus on STEM. Using data from the Japanese Panel Study of Employment Dynamics (JPSED), we find that women with STEM degrees begin their careers with earnings comparable to men with at least a bachelor’s degree in any field; yet the gap widens to 24.4 percent six to ten years after graduation. Penalties are especially large for mothers and remain sizable for childless women. Field differences are stark: six to ten years out, women with STEM bachelor’s degrees, Social Sciences, or Humanities degrees earn less than men with high-school or junior-college education. In contrast, women with STEM advanced degrees or Medicine/Pharmacy degrees earn more than men with a high-school or junior-college education, and women with Medicine/Pharmacy degrees maintain wage parity with men holding at least a bachelor’s degree in any field. These findings indicate that family responsibilities matter, but structural barriers against women also contribute to persistent gender gaps, with holders of advanced degrees in STEM, Medicine, or Pharmacy as notable exceptions. |
| Keywords: | STEM, field of study, female, Japan |
| JEL: | J16 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18465 |
| By: | Kazuharu Yanagimoto |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the barriers to gender convergence using Japan as a salient environment to explore the interactive effects of labor market structures and social norms. I develop a quantitative model of household labor supply where couples jointly decide their occupations and working hours. The model features a labor market with inflexible "regular" jobs with convex pay schedules and flexible "non-regular" jobs, interacting with social norms regarding spousal earnings. The calibrated model successfully reproduces observed gender gaps in participation, occupation, and working hours, and explains 48% of the gender wage gap. The model also accounts for cross-regional differences in gender gaps solely through variation in social norms. Counterfactual simulations show that while increasing job flexibility substantially reduces wage and occupational gaps, the working hours gap persists due to the unequal burden of domestic work. Closing this remaining gap requires policies such as affordable household services. Furthermore, the model suggests that the effects of structural reforms can depend on the strength of gender norms, with larger reductions in gender gaps in more conservative environments. |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2603.20817 |
| By: | Goulas, Sofoklis (foundry10 & Yale University) |
| Abstract: | This study documents a new fact about educational production: Students’ relative standing in noncognitive skills has lasting effects distinct from absolute skills and achievement. Using administrative data from Greece and quasi-random classroom assignment, I identify the causal impact of comparative noncognitive skills, measured as grade 10 classroom rank in grade 9 unexcused absences. A worse rank has persistent, nonlinear effects. While it lowers achievement for both genders, boys respond by sorting into more competitive tracks and higher-earning degrees, whereas girls shift toward less competitive paths. Gender differences in comparative noncognitive skills explain 37% of the gap in expected post-college salaries. Complementary evidence from a survey experiment shows that comparative behavioral labels systematically shift teachers’ expectations and attribution patterns for otherwise identical students. This suggests that relative-standing effects operate through belief-driven institutional responses. |
| Keywords: | noncognitive skills, ordinal rank, peer effects, STEM, gender gap |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J24 J16 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18471 |