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Elass, Kenza (2024): Male and female selection effects on gender wage gaps in three countries. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 87. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102506

Abstract

"A vast literature on gender wage gaps has examined the importance of selection into employment. However, most analyses have focused only on female labor force participation and gaps at the median. The Great Recession questions this approach because of the major shift in male employment that it implied. This paper uses the methodology proposed by Arellano and Bonhomme (2017) to estimate a quantile selection model over the period 2007–2018. Using a tax and benefit microsimulation model, I compute an instrument capturing both male and female decisions to participate in the labor market: the potential out-of-work income. Since my instrument is crucially determined by the welfare state, I consider three countries with notably different benefit systems – the UK, France and Finland. My results imply different selection patterns across countries and a sizeable male selection in France and the UK. Correction for selection bias lowers the gender wage gap and reveals a substantial glass ceiling with different magnitudes. Findings suggest that disparities between these countries are driven by occupational segregation and public spending on families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Gottlieb, Charles, Cheryl Doss, Douglas Gollin & Markus Poschke (2024): The Gender Division of Work across Countries. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16896), Bonn, 64 S.

Abstract

"Across countries, women and men allocate time differently between market work, domestic services, and care work. In this paper, we document the gender division of work, drawing on a new harmonized data set that provides us with high-quality time use data for 50 countries spanning the global income distribution. A striking feature of the data is the wide dispersion across countries at similar income levels. We use these data to motivate a macroeconomic model of household time use in which country-level allocations are shaped by wages and a set of "wedges" that resemble productivity, preferences, and disutilities. Taking the model to country-level observations, we find that a wedge related to the disutility of market work for women plays a crucial role in generating the observed dispersion of outcomes, particularly for middle-income countries. Variation in the division of non-market work is principally shaped by a wedge indicating greater disutility for men, which is especially large in some low- and middle-income countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Périvier, Hélène & Gregory Verdugo (2024): Where Are the Fathers? Effects of Earmarking Parental Leave for Fathers in France. In: ILR review, Jg. 77, H. 1, S. 88-118. DOI:10.1177/00197939231201570

Abstract

"Does providing nontransferable months of parental leave earmarked for fathers, as mandated by the European Union to its member countries since 2019, increase their participation? To answer that question, the authors investigate the consequences of a 2015 French reform that designated up to 12 months of paid leave for fathers while simultaneously reducing the maximum paid leave for mothers by the same number of months. Although the benefits were low, parental leave could be taken on a part-time basis, which can be more attractive to fathers. Using administrative data and comparing parents of children born before and after the reform, the authors find that in response to a 25 percentage point (pp) decline in mothers’ participation rate triggered by the reform, fathers’ participation increased by less than 1 pp, primarily through part-time leave. The reform increased mothers’ labor earnings, but it had no significant impact on fathers’ earnings. Overall, the substitutability of parental leave between parents appears to be low and, as a result, earmarking alone does not substantially increase fathers’ participation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bar-Haim, Eyal, Louis Chauvel, Janet Gornick & Anne Hartung (2023): The Persistence of the Gender Earnings Gap: Cohort Trends and the Role of Education in Twelve Countries. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 165, H. 3, S. 821-841. DOI:10.1007/s11205-022-03029-x

Abstract

"Studying twelve countries over 30 years, we examine whether women's educational expansion has translated into a narrowing of the gender gap in earnings when including persons with zero earnings. As educational attainment is cohort-dependent, an Age-Period-Cohort analysis is most appropriate in our view. Using the micro data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Database, we show that while, in terms of attainment of tertiary education, women have caught up and often even outperform men, substantial gender differences in our earnings measure persist in all countries. Using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method in an innovative age-period-cohort approach, we demonstrate that the role of education in explaining gender earnings differences has been limited and even decreased over cohorts. We also conclude that, when including persons not receiving earnings, earnings differences at levels far from gender equality will likely persist in the future, even if the “rise of women” in terms of education continues—as the share of women in higher education increases and the returns to education in particular for women declines." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Campaña, Juan Carlos, Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal & Jorge Velilla (2023): Measuring Gender Gaps in Time Allocation in Europe. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 165, H. 2, S. 519-553. DOI:10.1007/s11205-022-03026-0

Abstract

"This paper explores the gender gap in time allocation in European countries, offering a comparison of the 2000s and the 2010s, along with an explanation of the documented gender gaps, based on social norms and institutional factors. The results show that the gender gap in both paid and unpaid work has decreased in most countries, but with a significant level of cross-country heterogeneity in the size of the gender gaps. More traditional social norms are related to greater gender inequalities in paid and unpaid work, while countries with better family-friendly policies and a greater representation of women in politics and in the labour market exhibit smaller gender inequalities. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of gender gaps in Europe, and attempts to monitor the progress towards the elimination of gender inequalities. Despite that some degree of gender convergence in paid and unpaid work has taken place, there remain inequalities in the distribution of labour in European countries, and possible solutions may be related to social norms and family-friendly policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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De La Porte, Caroline, Zhen Jie Im, Brigitte Pircher & Dorota Szelewa (2023): The EU's work-life balance directive: Institutional change of father-specific leave across member states. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 57, H. 4, S. 549-563. DOI:10.1111/spol.12920

Abstract

"This paper examines institutional change in father-specific leave - a centre-piece of the EU's work-life balance directive (WLBD) - from the perspective of gradual institutional change. The WLBD, a highly contentious directive, represents a litmus test for the possible impact of the European pillar of social rights (EPSR), on welfare state institutions, which are responsible for the organisation, financing and delivery of social rights in member states. The analysis comprises in-depth case studies in Denmark, Germany, France and Poland, with different combinations of family and parental leave policies prior to the WLBD. The findings reveal that the EU's directive is leading to convergence in paternity leave, but to divergence in parental leave. Our study is important because it shows that even if EU directives in social policy in principle can lead to upwards social convergence across the EU, when they are relatively weak in terms of precise constraint, for instance, for the level of remuneration for leave, this leads to differentiated integration. This could undermine the very purpose of the EPSR, which seeks to improve social rights for all citizens across the EU. Similar dynamics are likely to be present in other areas at the welfare state-labor market nexus, such as minimum wages or platform work, where the EU is also developing regulation under the auspices of the EPSR." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Fattmann, Rainer, Johanna Wolf & Wiebke Wiede (Hrsg.) (2023): Gender Pay Gap. Vom Wert und Unwert von Arbeit in Geschichte und Gegenwart. (Politik- und Gesellschaftsgeschichte 113), Bonn: Dietz, 287 S.

Abstract

"Der Gender Pay Gap ist ein vielschichtiges historisches Phänomen. Es ist verknüpft mit ungleichen Bewertungen von Arbeit auf den Arbeitsmärkten, mit Geschlechterbildern, die sich im Zeitverlauf nur langsam wandeln, und einer ungleichen Verteilung von Haus-, Sorge- und Erwerbsarbeit. Die Autorinnen zeichnen die Bedingungen der ungleichen Bezahlung aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven exemplarisch nach. In der Bundesrepublik Deutschland verdienten Frauen im Jahr 2021 pro Arbeitsstunde etwa 18 Prozent weniger als Männer. Der Abstand in der Entlohnung wird seit Langem politisch und wissenschaftlich diskutiert. Dennoch verringert sich die Ungleichheit nur langsam. Existenz und Dauerhaftigkeit des Phänomens sind allerdings länderübergreifend. Der Band fragt aus der Perspektive von Geschichtswissenschaft, Soziologie, Rechts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften nach historischen und gegenwärtigen Ausprägungen und Ursachen des Gender Pay Gaps" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Dietz)

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Ferragina, Emanuele & Edoardo Magalini (2023): Maternal Employment and Childcare Use from an Intersectional Perspective: Stratification along Class, Contractual and Gender Lines in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK. In: Social Politics, Jg. 30, H. 3, S. 871-902. DOI:10.1093/sp/jxad021

Abstract

"Connecting streams of feminist and comparative social policy literature, this article investigates stratification in maternal employment and childcare use along class, contractual, and gender lines across six countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) and five family policy models. Detailing the different stratifying factors that intervene in the relation between maternal employment and childcare use offers a concrete analysis of the complex link between social reproduction and work. Employing multivariate regressions and EU-SILC (2007–2018) data, it provides an intersectional perspective to the literature. First, we observe a process of formalization in childcare use with a parallel reduction of nonformal care for couples; this process is slower for single mothers. Second, we document a paradox in relation to the social investment approach: the relation between childcare use and maternal employment is stronger in countries that recently expanded childcare to modify their male-breadwinner orientation, but in these countries childcare use is more stratified along class/contract types, a concern for the outcomes of social investment strategies outside of Scandinavia. Being out of work, being in a lower social class, fulfilling domestic tasks and/or care activities, and having an atypical contract negatively correlates with childcare use in most countries. Third, households where partners have more similar earning levels use childcare to a greater extent. The article also provides models employing different dependent and independent variables, alternative family structures, full and part-time work, formal and nonformal childcare, and rich country details." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Filser, Andreas, Pascal Achard, Corinna Frodermann, Dana Müller & Sander Wagner (2023): Mothers’ Employment in a High- and Low- Maternal Employment Regime – a comparison between France and Germany. (SocArXiv papers), 29 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/kbwtv

Abstract

"France and Germany, the two biggest EU economies with relatively similar welfare states differ profoundly in how childbirth affects the careers of mothers. Building on newly harmonized administrative data we document differences in mothers’ employment trajectories, show how these differences evolved between 1997-2019, and analyse whether the influence of individual and firm-level characteristics on maternal employment are similarly structured in two countries with such different post-maternal employment regimes. Our results show that previously employed mothers in Germany reducing their employment by over 2.3 years more than their French counterparts in the six years including and following birth. Part-time work increases by over 40% among those continuing to work in Germany and by about 25% in France. We document a common trend towards increased post-maternal employment and increased part-time work in later cohorts in both countries. Individual- and firm-level factors have a much more stratified effect on post-maternal employment in France, with low-income and low-education mothers faring comparatively worse. While mothers’ employment is reduced to a much greater extent in Germany, the high maternal employment French model seems to particularly disfavour the return of mothers with low human capital into the labour market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Garbinti, Bertrand, Cecilia García Peñalosa, Vladimir Pecheu & Frédérique Savignac (2023): Unobserved Components Model(s): Output Gaps and Financial Cycles. (Documents de travail / Banque de France 925), Paris, 35 S.

Abstract

"This paper is the first to compute lifetime earnings (LTE) in France for a large number of cohorts that entered the labour market between 1967 and 1987. We compare our results with evidence by Guvenen et al. (2022) for the US, documenting sharp differences between the two countries. Median LTE show similar flat trends in both countries, but in France this results from a moderate increase for both genders together with increased female participation, while in the US, LTE declines for men and sharply grows for women. There have been marked changes in age profiles, as for both genders younger cohorts have experienced a decrease in entry wages that has been more than offset by faster wage growth. Our analysis of inequality finds that it is lower when we focus on LTE than in the cross-section, and that it follows a U-shaped pattern, although the increase is much smaller in France than that observed in the US. Lastly, we also find that i) education (returns and changes in attainment) plays a key role in shaping LTE across cohorts, and ii) differences in working time explain an increasing part of the gender gap in LTE over time as both men and women have increased the number of years they work but women have done so largely through part-time employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Haupt, Andreas & Dafna Gelbgiser (2023): The gendered division of cognitive household labor, mental load, and family–work conflict in European countries. In: European Societies online erschienen am 25.10.2023, S. 1-27. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2023.2271963

Abstract

"The unequal division of cognitive labor within households, and its potential association with mental load and stress, has gained substantial interest in recent public and scholarly discussions. We aim to deepen this debate theoretically and empirically. First, going beyond the question of whether the division of cognitive labor is gendered, we connect cognitive household labor with existing stress theories and ask whether men and women typically perform cognitive labor tasks that involve different levels of stress. We then discuss whether women perform these stressful tasks more often, making them more prone to higher levels of Family–work conflict. Second, we test the association between the division of cognitive labor and Family–work conflict empirically using large-scale survey data from 10 European countries within the Generations & Gender Programme (GGP). Results based on logistic regressions confirm that a high share of cognitive labor increases women's Family–work conflict, but not men's. We discuss future directions in the conceptualization and measurement of cognitive labor in the household and its implications for mental load. Through its contributions, this paper lays the foundations for a comprehensive understanding of the implications of an unequal division of cognitive labor in the household for gender inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kowalewska, Helen (2023): Gendered employment patterns: Women's labour market outcomes across 24 countries. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 151-168. DOI:10.1177/09589287221148336

Abstract

"An accepted framework for ‘gendering’ the analysis of welfare regimes compares countries by degrees of ‘defamilialization’ or how far their family policies support or undermine women’s employment participation. This article develops an alternative framework that explicitly spotlights women’s labour market outcomes rather than policies. Using hierarchical clustering on principal components, it groups 24 industrialized countries by their simultaneous performance across multiple gendered employment outcomes spanning segregation and inequalities in employment participation, intensity, and pay, with further differences by class. The three core ‘worlds’ of welfare (social-democratic, corporatist, liberal) each displays a distinctive pattern of gendered employment outcomes. Only France diverges from expectations, as large gender pay gaps across the educational divide – likely due to fragmented wage-bargaining – place it with Anglophone countries. Nevertheless, the outcome-based clustering fails to support the idea of a homogeneous Mediterranean grouping or a singular Eastern European cluster. Furthermore, results underscore the complexity and idiosyncrasy of gender inequality: while certain groups of countries are ‘better’ overall performers, all have their flaws. Even the Nordics fall behind on some measures of segregation, despite narrow participatory and pay gaps for lower- and high-skilled groups. Accordingly, separately monitoring multiple measures of gender inequality, rather than relying on ‘headline’ indicators or gender equality indices, matters." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Maestripieri, Lara (2023): Women's Involuntary Part-Time Employment and Household Economic Security in Europe. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 29, H. 4, S. 223-251. DOI:10.1080/13545701.2023.2251991

Abstract

"The rate of involuntary part-time work among women has increased sharply. Scholars have demonstrated its links with diminished career opportunities, deteriorated working conditions, and low pay at an individual level. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of these contracts on economic security at the household level. This article investigates to what extent women being in part-time work involuntarily hinders their household's ability to attain reasonable living standards and examines whether this would be any different if women were in part-time employment voluntarily. The results show that part-time work in itself does not necessarily constitute a threat to household economic security, but when it is involuntary, part-time employment jeopardizes a household's financial well-being. This occurs in countries that deregulated peripheral corners of their labor markets, or "dualized" countries such as Italy, Spain, and France, and fully liberalized countries, such as Switzerland and the United Kingdom." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Makay, Zsuzsanna (2023): Paid Parental Leave Reforms and Mothers’ Employment in Austria, France and Hungary. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 48. DOI:10.12765/cpos-2023-17

Abstract

"This study focuses on changes in the length of paid parental leave in Austria, France and Hungary between the 1960s and the first decade of the 2000s. Its aim is to analyse to what extent extensions and reductions of the duration of paid parental leave affect mothers’ labour market entry after childbirth. For each country, periods according to the different policy reforms are analysed and data from the Generations and Gender Survey are used to account for changes in mothers’ labour market entry. Scholars have argued that too long periods of paid parental leave might act as work-reducing policy in that they hinder women’s labour market entry while short leaves have positive effects on labour market participation and wages. This phenomenon is studied in three countries with very different conciliation policies. Results for Austria show that the introduction of more flexibility into the leave legislation in 2008 increased mothers’ relative risks of labour market entry especially among higher educated women. In France, the extension of paid leave for second born children in 1994 reduced labour market entry. We found however, no significant effect of the 1986 reform for third children and the 2004 reform introducing a paid leave of six months for first-born children. In Hungary, labour market entry of mothers was influenced by structural changes which accompanied the political transition of 1989 and resulted in longer leave take up of mothers. Labour market entry before the transition was more intensive than ever since that." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mariscal-de-Gante, Álvaro, Amaia Palencia-Esteban, Sara Grubanov-Boskovic & Enrique Fernández-Macías (2023): Feminization, ageing and occupational change in Europe in the last 25 years. (JRC working papers series on labour, education and technology 2023,04), Sevilla, 23 S.

Abstract

"This paper presents new evidence on the interaction between demographic and occupational change in Europe over the last 25 years. We use data from the European Union Labour Force Survey covering six European countries to make the results representative of the different EU institutional families. The analysis is based on a cross-sectional comparison between the population and employment distributions in 1995 and 2019. This strategy allows us to study the changing demographic dynamics, which have brought a more feminised, aged and educated working population, in a context of structural employment change, where higher job polarisation or occupational upgrading are the main patterns. The results indicate that the increasing female participation has been accompanied by job polarisation, driven especially by the expansion of low-paid jobs among women. Although educational upgrading was particularly relevant for females, a multinomial logistic regression shows that occupational returns to education have declined more for women than men. Finally, despite the fact that the share of young (old) workers has decreased (increased), the occupational profile has changed similarly for both groups and the gender-based differences remain regardless of their age." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Philippe, Arnaud & Daphné Skandalis (2023): Motherhood and the Cost of Job Search. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16669), Bonn, 43 S.

Abstract

"Why do women experience a persistent drop in labor earnings upon becoming mothers, i.e. a "child penalty"? We study a new mechanism: search frictions. We analyze data on job applications sent on a popular online platform linked with administrative data for 350,000 involuntarily unemployed workers in France. First, we highlight differences in job search behavior between mothers and similar women with no children. Mothers send 12.2% fewer job applications and are more selective regarding wage and non-wage amenities. Consistently, they have a lower job finding rate. Second, we analyze the exact time when applications are sent and highlight differences in the timing of job search. We find that mothers' rate of applications decreases by 20.3% in the hours and days when there is no school. We also show that mothers responded to a reform that introduced school on Wednesday by smoothing their search across weekdays and narrowing their search timing gap with other women. In a simple search model, we show that our results imply that mothers both face lower incentives and higher costs to search. We conclude that search frictions disproportionately prevent mothers from improving their labor market situation and contribute to the child penalty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Tomatis, Francesca & Roberto Impicciatore (2023): Labour Market Participation and Fertility in Seven European Countries. A Comparative Perspective. In: Comparative Population Studies, Jg. 48. DOI:10.12765/cpos-2023-08

Abstract

"Although evidence suggests a correlation between fertility and employment, comparative studies on this topic are relatively scarce, particularly when considering the diverse ways in which the two variables interact in different countries. The aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between the employment and reproductive behaviours of women born between 1940 and 1979 in seven European countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Georgia, Italy, and Lithuania). Using data from the second wave of Generation and Gender Surveys (GGS) and the Istat survey Famiglia e Soggetti Sociali (FSS) in Italy, we estimated the propensity of first and second childbirth through multi-process modelling. The article’s contribution is both theoretical and methodological. First, this research aims to investigate the correlation between employment and the timing of first and second births in a comparative perspective challenging the traditional East-West divide in Europe and the potential convergence in the impact of employment on fertility behaviours across European countries. Furthermore, the study asks whether the relationship between employment and fertility is changing similarly across European countries or whether differences tend to persist over time. The results are discussed considering women’s emancipation in different institutional settings, highlighting how women’s participation in labour markets affects reproductive behaviour. In particular, the relationship between employment and fertility behaviour is examined in relation to the opposing macro-level thesis, which suggests that the association between employment and fertility changed from negative to positive after the mid-80s. The second contribution of the article is a methodological one. It involves using simultaneous models with three equations to account for potential unobserved factors that influence the timing of the first and second childbirth and the potential endogeneity of employment status on fertility behaviour. The three equations include two log-Hazard equations for the transitions to the first and second birth order and an additional probit model to estimate the probability of being currently employed over the life course. By using this approach, we aim to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between employment and fertility, while controlling for potential confounding factors. Results suggest relevant national differences. On the one hand, the three Western countries considered in the analysis, France, Germany, and Italy, show a clear incompatibility of work and childbearing. However, in the first two, younger cohorts seem to be less affected by employment, likely because they benefitted from family policies introduced after the mid-1980s. On the other hand, the post-socialist countries are highly heterogeneous. In this area, we can find three different models. First, in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic employment is largely compatible with fertility choices resulting in a higher propensity of having the first and the second childbirth among working women. Second, in Lithuania the positive impact of employment for the first childbirth turns negative for the second one. Third, in Georgia we found a clear postponement of childbirth among working women for both birth orders. Overall, our results show deep differences across countries, suggesting that some European countries are far from demonstrating convergence in the relationship between employment and fertility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Akitoby, Bernardin, Jiro Honda & Hiroaki Miyamoto (2022): Countercyclical Fiscal Policy and Gender Employment: Evidence from the G-7 Countries. In: IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Jg. 12. DOI:10.2478/izajolp-2022-0005

Abstract

"Would countercyclical fiscal policy during recessions improve or worsen the gender employment gap? We answer this question by exploring the state-dependent impact of fiscal spending shocks on employment by gender in the G-7 countries. Using the local projection method, we find that, during recessions, a positive fiscal spending shock increases female employment more than male employment, contributing to gender employment equality. Our findings are driven by disproportionate employment changes in female-friendly industries, occupations, and part-time jobs in response to fiscal spending shocks. The analysis suggests that fiscal stimulus, particularly during recessions, could achieve the twin objectives of supporting aggregate demand and improving gender gaps." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Avram, Silvia & Daria Popova (2022): Do taxes and transfers reduce gender income inequality? Evidence from eight European welfare states. In: Social science research, Jg. 102. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102644

Abstract

"We examine how taxes and transfers affect the incomes of men and women. Using microsimulation and intra-household income splitting rules, we measure the differences in the level and composition of individual disposable income by gender in eight European countries covering various welfare regime types. We quantify the extent to which taxes and transfers can counterbalance the gender gap in earnings, as well as which policy instruments contribute most to reducing the gender income gap. We find that with the exception of old-age public pensions, all taxes and transfers significantly reduce gender income inequality but cannot compensate for high gender earnings gaps. Our findings suggest that gender income equality is more likely to be achieved by promoting the universal/dual breadwinner model, whereby women's labour force participation and wages are on a par with men. To achieve this, men will likely need to work less and care more." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Bar-Haim, Eyal, Louis Chauvel, Janet Gornick & Anne Hartung (2022): The Persistence of the Gender Earnings Gap: Cohort Trends and the Role of Education in Twelve Countries. (SocArXiv papers), [Charlottesville, VA], 36 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/dkc76

Abstract

"Studying twelve countries over 30 years, we examine whether women’s educational expansion has translated into a narrowing of the gender gap in earnings when including persons with zero earnings. As educational attainment is cohort-dependent, an Age-Period-Cohort analysis is most appropriate in our view. Using the micro data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Database, we show that while, in terms of attainment of tertiary education, women have caught up and often even outperform men, substantial gender differences in our earnings measure persist in all countries. Using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method in an innovative age-period-cohort approach, we demonstrate that the role of education in explaining gender earnings differences has been limited and even decreased over cohorts. We also conclude that, when including persons not receiving earnings, earnings differences at levels far from gender equality will likely persist in the future, even if the “rise of women” in terms of education continues – as the share of women in higher education increases and the returns to education in particular for women declines." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Canaan, Serena (2022): Parental leave, household specialization and children's well-being. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 75. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102127

Abstract

"Many countries offer new parents long periods of paid leave. Proponents argue that parental leave programs can reduce gender gaps in the labor market and promote children's well-being. In this paper, I show that lengthy leaves can instead work against these intended goals. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that a 3-year expansion of paid leave in France increases household specialization by inducing mothers to exit the labor force and fathers to raise their work hours. The leave further harms children's verbal development." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Choe, Chung, SeEun Jungy & Ronald L. Oaxaca (2022): What's the Risk from Competing? Competition Aversion and the Gender Wage Gap. (IZA discussion paper 15048), Bonn, 52 S.

Abstract

"Laboratory experiments involving a real effort task are conducted to examine the importance of gender differences in competition aversion for generating gender wage gaps. Cross-subject design treatment and control experiments suggest that gender differences in risk aversion play no significant role in competitive (tournament) vs. piece-rate job choices and consequent gender wage gaps. Subjects in the treatment experiments are sorted into relatively more and relatively less risk averse groupings. Relatively less risk averse subjects are assigned to a risky job track involving a known constant probability of unemployment in each period. The gender wage gap contribution of gender differences in competition aversion compared with the contribution of gender differences in performance is especially large for relatively less risk averse subjects." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Coron, Clotilde & Géraldine Schmidt (2022): The "Gender Face" of Job Insecurity in France: An Individual- and Organizational-Level Analysis. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 36, H. 6, S. 999-1017. DOI:10.1177/0950017021995673

Abstract

"Admittedly, women have a more precarious situation on the job market than men, which would suggest that they feel more insecure. However, literature on subjective job insecurity (JI) is contradictory about the effect of gender on JI. This could be explained by both individual characteristics and labour market gendered segregation – the companies in which women and men work do not have the same characteristics, particularly in terms of strategy and workforce management. Previous literature on JI rarely addresses this phenomenon. We propose to better understand the ‘gender face’ of subjective JI combining individual and organizational characteristics. We utilize data from the 2017 REPONSE survey and generalized linear models, notably multi-level models. Our findings reveal that, although women hold more precarious jobs, they work in more protective organizations. Consequently, while women report an average lower level of JI, this difference disappears when controlling for individual and organizational variables." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dalvit, Nicoló, Aseem Patel & Joanne Tan (2022): Intra-firm hierarchies and gender gaps. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 77, H. August. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102029

Abstract

"We study how changes in female representation at the top of a firm’s organisation affect gender-specific outcomes across hierarchies within firms. We start by developing a theoretical model of a hierarchical firm, where gender representation in top organisational layers can affect gender-specific hiring and promotion probabilities at lower layers. We then exploit a recent French reform that imposed gender representation quotas in the boards of directors and test the model’s predictions in the data. Our empirical results show that the reform was successful in reducing gender wage and representation gaps at the upper layers of the firm, but not at lower firm layers. A Panel VAR analysis confirms that the trickle-down effects of this policy were limited and suggests that quotas targeting middle management, rather than corporate boards, may have a more widespread effect across the firm." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Elass, Kenza (2022): The multiple dimensions of selection into employment. (French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2022 06), Marseille, 49 S.

Abstract

"A vast literature on gender wage gaps has examined the importance of selection into employment. However, most analyses have focused only on female labour force participation and gaps at the median. The Great Recession questions this approach both because of the major shift in male employment that it implied but also because women’s decision to participate seems to have been different along the distribution, particularly due to an “added worker effect”. This paper uses the methodology proposed by Arellano and Bonhomme (2017) to estimate a quantile selection model over the period 2007-2018. Using a tax and benefit microsimulation model, I compute an instrument capturing the male selection induced by the crisis as well as female decisions: the potential out-of-work income. Since my instrument is crucially determined by the welfare state, I consider three countries with notably different benefit systems – the UK, France and Finland. My results imply different selection patterns across countries and a sizeable male selection in France and the UK. Correction for selection bias lower the gender wage gap and, in most recent years, reveals an increasing shape of the gender gap distribution with a substantial glass ceiling for the three countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kan, Man-Yee, Muzhi Zhou, Kamila Kolpashnikova, Ekaterina Hertog, Shohei Yoda & Jiweon Jun (2022): Revisiting the Gender Revolution: Time on Paid Work, Domestic Work, and Total Work in East Asian and Western Societies 1985–2016. In: Gender & Society, Jg. 36, H. 3, S. 368-396. DOI:10.1177/08912432221079664

Abstract

"We analyze time use data of four East Asian societies and 12 Western countries between 1985 and 2016 to investigate the gender revolution in paid work, domestic work, and total work. The closing of gender gaps in paid work, domestic work, and total work time has stalled in the most recent decade in several countries. The magnitude of the gender gaps, cultural contexts, and welfare policies plays a key role in determining whether the gender revolution in the division of labor will stall or continue. Women undertake more total work than men across all societies: The gender gap ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours a day. Our findings suggest that cultural norms interact with institutional contexts to affect the patterns of gender convergence in time use, and gender equality might settle at differing levels of egalitarianism across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Oggero, Noemi, Francesco Devicienti, Mariacristina Rossi & Davide Vannoni (2022): You can't be what you can't see: The role of gender in the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship. (Carlo Alberto notebooks 675), Turin, 33 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, we investigate how the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship varies between sons and daughters, and whether such a process depends on living in a country characterized by a high gender gap. Using the SHARE dataset, we find that the effect on daughters’ entrepreneurial choices of having an entrepreneur as father is lower than the one on sons only in countries with a high gender gap. Moreover, it is just in countries with high gender inequality that the effect of having an entrepreneurial mother is different between sons and daughters, with the impact being positive for daughters only. We also develop an individual-level indicator of gender gap within countries that corroborates our findings, which we interpret as evidence of the presence of a role modeling mechanism. However, we find evidence of convergence across time of the intergenerational transmission process to the gender-independent transfer typical of more gender equal countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Paola, Vanessa di, Arnaud Dupray & Stéphanie Moullet (2022): Does occupational gender composition affect women's chances of becoming managers? Evidence from France, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 43, H. 5/6, S. 473-490. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-12-2021-0315

Abstract

"The authors aim to explore the link between the gender composition of occupations and women's access to managerial positions in four societal contexts. Using EU-LFS data for 2015, the authors measure the relative gender equality performance of France, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK regarding women's access to managerial positions, defined as levels 1 and 2 of the 2008 ISCO classification coupled with the exercise of managerial responsibilities. While gender-mixed working environments offer the largest number of managerial positions, they are also where women are least likely to reach such a position. Overall, except in Switzerland, women fare best in male-dominated occupations. Women do not appear to fare worse than men in female-dominated occupations, except in France. The findings question the relevance of policies aimed simply at reducing occupational gender segregation without providing safeguards against the deleterious effects that gender mixing may have on women's career advancement. The disparities between countries found here show that individual career advancement towards a managerial position may be driven by the social policies, gender ideology and institutions of the societal context. Examining how the societal dimensions involved in the poor performance of women in France and Switzerland are likely to differ sheds light on mechanisms behind the gender gap in management." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald) ((en))

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OECD (2022): The Role of Firms in the Gender Wage Gap in Germany. Gender Equality at Work. (Gender Equality at Work), Paris, 78 S. DOI:10.1787/6cda329d-en

Abstract

"This review contributes to a better understanding of the gender wage gap in Germany and puts forward key elements of a policy package to reduce gender pay gaps. It provides a detailed analysis of the role of firms in the gender wage gap by focusing on the pay gap between similarly skilled men and women between and within firms. The within‑firm component captures differences in pay between men and women within firms related to differences in tasks and responsibilities, or differences in pay for work of equal value (e.g. bargaining, discrimination). The between‑firm component captures the role of differences in pay between firms (unrelated to workforce composition) due to the tendency of women to work in low‑wage firms. The review analyses gender differences in job mobility and the earnings consequences of career breaks following childbirth to shed light on the evolution of the gender wage gap across the working life. To put results for Germany in context, they are systematically benchmarked to those of four nearby countries (i.e. Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Sweden). The policy discussion extends the empirical analysis by putting forward a comprehensive policy package with an emphasis on policies targeted at firms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aksoy, Cevat Giray, Berkay Özcan & Julia Philipp (2021): Robots and the Gender Pay Gap in Europe. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 134. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103693

Abstract

"Could robotization make the gender pay gap worse? We provide the first large-scale evidence on the impact of industrial robots on the gender pay gap using data from 20 European countries. We show that robot adoption increases both male and female earnings but also increases the gender pay gap. Using an instrumental variable strategy, we find that a ten percent increase in robotization leads to a 1.8 percent increase in the gender pay gap. These results are driven by countries with high initial levels of gender inequality and can be explained by the fact that men at medium- and high-skill occupations disproportionately benefit from robotization, through a productivity effect. We rule out the possibility that our results are driven by mechanical changes in the gender composition of the workforce." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Bartels, Charlotte & Cortnie Shupe (2021): Drivers of Participation Elasticities across Europe: Gender or Earner Role within the Household? (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 1969), Berlin, 61 S.

Abstract

"We compute participation tax rates across the EU and find that work disincentives inherent in tax-benefit systems largely depend on household composition and the individual’s earner role within the household. We then estimate participation elasticities using an IV group estimator that enables us to investigate the responsiveness of individuals to work incentives. We contribute to the literature on heterogeneous elasticities by providing estimates for breadwinners and secondary earners separately, according to their potential earnings rather than gender. Our results show an average participation elasticity of 0.0-0.1 among breadwinners and 0.1-0.4 among secondary earners in the EU as well as a high degree of heterogeneity across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Domini, Giacomo, Marco Grazzi, Daniele Moschella & Tania Treibich (2021): For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Firm-Level Effects of Automation on Wage and Gender Inequality. (JRC working papers series on labour, education and technology 2021,15), Sevilla, 43 S.

Abstract

"This paper investigates the impact of investment in automation- and AI- related goods on within-firm wage inequality in the French economy during the period 2002-2017. We document that most of wage inequality in France is accounted for by differences among workers belonging to the same firm, rather than by differences between sectors, firms, and occupations. Using an event-study approach on a sample of firms importing automation and AI-related goods, we find that spike events related to the adoption of automation- or AI-related capital goods are not followed by an increase in within-firm wage nor in gender inequality. Instead, wages increase by 1% three years after the events at different percentiles of the distribution. Our findings are not linked to a rent-sharing behavior of firms obtaining productivity gains from automation or AI adoption. Instead, if the wage gains do not differ across workers along the wage distribution, worker heterogeneity is still present. Indeed, aligned with the framework in Abowd et al.(1999b), most of the overall wage increase is due to the hiring of new employees. This adds to previous findings showing picture of a `labor friendly' effect of the latest wave of new technologies within adopting firms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Elmallakh, Nelly (2021): Fertility, Family Policy, and Labor Supply: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from France. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 984), Essen, 55 S.

Abstract

"This paper examines fertility and labor supply responses to a French policy reform that consisted in conditioning the amount of child allowances on household income. Relying on Regression Discontinuity Design and administrative income data, the paper finds that restricting family allowance eligibility criteria decreases fertility. The results also highlight that receiving half the amount of the allowances or not receiving any leads to an increase in both male and female labor supply. Auxiliary regressions show that at least part of the decline in fertility is due to timing effects, as the fertility impact declines as women's age increases." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fontaine, Idriss (2021): Does wife's labour supply influence labour force participation of her elderly husband? Lessons from France. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 53, H. 26, S. 2946-2961. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2020.1870655

Abstract

"Since the mid-1990s, the labour force participation of older men and women increased substantially in France. In this paper, we investigate the effect of having a participating wife on the labour market behaviour of her elderly husband. Working with data from the French Labour Force Survey and using the cohort-specific participation rate of women at age 40 as an instrument for their current participation, we find that the magnitude of the causal relationship is strong. The likelihood of husbands’ participation increases of about 19 points when their wives are currently active in the labour market. Such findings support the view that some complementarities in leisure exist so that French married men attribute a higher value to leisure when it is shared with their wife. It also suggests that policy makers should take into account both direct and indirect effects when they implement a change in the economic environment of elderly." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ledic, Marko & Ivica Rubil (2021): Beyond Wage Gap, Towards Job Quality Gap: The Role of Inter-Group Differences in Wages, Non-Wage Job Dimensions, and Preferences. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 155, H. 2, S. 523-561. DOI:10.1007/s11205-021-02612-y

Abstract

"Wage is not the only thing people care about when assessing the quality of their jobs. Non-wage job dimensions, such as autonomy at work and work-life balance, are important as well. Nevertheless, there is vast literature comparing groups of employed people that focuses on the inter-group wage gaps only. We go beyond the wage gap by proposing a framework for analysing inter-group gaps in multidimensional job quality. Job quality is measured by the so-called equivalent wage, a measure combining wage and multiple non-wage job dimensions in accordance with preferences over jobs as combinations of job dimensions. We derive a decomposition of the inter-group equivalent wage gap into three components: (1) the standard wage gap, (2) the gap in non-wage dimensions, and (3) inter-group preference heterogeneity. In an illustrative empirical application, we focus on the gender gap for recent university graduates using survey data from 19 countries. Men's equivalent wages are substantially higher than women's, and the equivalent wage gaps are significantly larger than the wage gaps. This is because the non-wage job dimensions are on average to men's advantage, and the preference heterogeneity is such that men care about the non-wage dimensions less than women do, and thus suffer less from having the non-wage dimensions at levels below the perfect level. This type of decompositions broadens information about labour market inequalities available to policy makers, but it is up to them to decide which of the three components of the equivalent wage gap are normatively relevant for them and whether they should aim to eliminate them." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Lucifora, Claudio, Dominique Meurs & Elena Villar (2021): The “mommy track” in the workplace. Evidence from a large French firm. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 72. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102035

Abstract

"We study the earnings and career profiles of employees who experience the birth of the first child, as compared to their childless co-workers. Using a difference-in-differences approach and a unique 12-year panel of personnel records from a large French company, we find that the arrival of a child creates a persistent penalty in earnings for mothers. The gap in internal promotions, both at the extensive and intensive margin, accounts for the vast majority of the motherhood penalty within the firm. We believe that firm-level policies on child-related leaves, if not gender-neutral, can exacerbate the motherhood penalty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Pető, Rita & Balázs Reizer (2021): Gender differences in the skill content of jobs. In: Journal of Population Economics, Jg. 34, H. 3, S. 825-864. DOI:10.1007/s00148-021-00825-6

Abstract

"There is significant heterogeneity in actual skill use within occupations even though occupations are differentiated by the task workers should perform during work. Using data on 12 countries which are available both in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies survey and International Social Survey Program, we show that women use their cognitive skills less than men even within the same occupation. The gap in skill intensity cannot be explained by differences in worker characteristics or in cognitive skills. Instead, we show that living in a partnership significantly increases the skill use of men compared with women. We argue that having a partner affects skill use through time allocation as the gender penalty of partnered women is halved once we control for working hours and hours spent on housework. Finally, we do not find evidence of workplace discrimination against women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Périvier, Hélène & Gregory Verdugo (2021): Can parental leave be shared? (Sciences Po OFCE working paper 2021,6), Paris, 55 S.

Abstract

"We examine the consequences of recent policies promoting parental leave sharing using a 2015 French reform. The reform reduced the duration of mothers' paid leave to give 12 months of non transferable leave to fathers. Leave can be taken while working part-time for up to 80% of standard working hours, which can be a more attractive option for fathers. We find that the take-up rates for fathers remained low, as less than 3% of fathers took any form of leave after the reform. Surprisingly, we also find low take-up rates for fathers working part-time after the reform and for whom taking paid part-time leave would have increased their median income by 15% without requiring them to change in their labour supply. For fathers working part-time, non-take-up rates of part-time leave benefits are as high as 81% compared with less than 25% for mothers. The reform dramatically increased the annual earnings of mothers, but it had no effect on the earnings of fathers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cukrowska-Torzewska, Ewa & Anna Matysiak (2020): The motherhood wage penalty: A meta-analysis. In: Social science research, Jg. 88/89. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102416

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Gimenez-Nadal, J. Ignacio & José Alberto Molina (2020): The Gender Gap in Time Allocation in Europe. (IZA discussion paper 13461), 42 S.

Abstract

"This article explores the gender gap in time allocation in Europe, offering up-to-date statistics and information on several factors that may help to explain these differences. Prior research has identified several factors affecting the time individuals devote to paid work, unpaid work, and child care, and the gender gaps in these activities, but most research refers to single countries, and general patterns are rarely explored. Cross-country evidence on gender gaps in paid work, unpaid work, and child care is offered, and explanations based on education, earnings, and household structure are presented, using data from the EUROSTAT and the Multinational Time Use Surveys. There are large cross-country differences in the gender gaps in paid work, unpaid work, and child care, which remain after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, although the gender gap in paid work dissipates when the differential gendered relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and paid work is taken into account. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of gender gaps in Europe, helping to focus recent debates on how to tackle inequality in Europe, and clarifying the factors that contribute to gender inequalities in the uses of time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Goraus, Karolina, Joanna Tyrowicz & Lucas van der Velde (2020): How rankings disguise gender inequality: a comparative analysis of cross-country gender equality rankings based on adjusted wage gaps. (GRAPE working paper 46), Warszawa, 23 S.

Abstract

"In the case of gender wage gaps, adjusting adequately for individual characteristics requires prior assessment of several important deficiencies, primarily whether a given labor market is characterized by gendered selection into employment, gendered segmentation and whether these mechanisms differ along the distribution of wages. Whether a country is perceived as more equal than others depends on the interaction between the method of adjusting gender wage gap for individual characteristics and the prevalence of these deficiencies. We make the case that this interaction is empirically relevant by comparing the country rankings for the adjusted gender wage gap among 23 EU countries. In this relatively homogeneous group of countries, the interaction between method and underlying deficiencies leads to substantial variation in the extent of unjustified inequality. A country may change its place in the ranking by as much as ten positions - both towards greater equality and towards greater inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hennig, Linda E. (2020): Lebensführung im Spannungsfeld von Islam und Beruf. Berufsbiografien von Musliminnen in Frankreich und Deutschland. (Veröffentlichungen der Sektion Religionssoziologie der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie), Wiesbaden: Imprint: Springer VS, XIII, 448 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-31973-1

Abstract

"Ist die Zugehörigkeit zum Islam ein Konfliktfaktor im beruflichen Miteinander? Beeinträchtigt sie die Arbeitsmarktintegration muslimischer Frauen? Die Studie untersucht Vereinbarkeitskonflikte zwischen muslimischer Religiosität und der Berufstätigkeit von Frauen. Diskutiert wird die Wirkung religiöser Überzeugungen auf die Erwerbsmotivation, die Rolle von Diskriminierungen, der Kontext einer islamkritischen Gesellschaft sowie Auswirkungen rechtlicher Regelungen bezüglich der Religionspraxis am Arbeitsplatz in Deutschland und Frankreich. Auf der Grundlage einer ländervergleichenden Analyse der Berufsbiografien von Musliminnen, die im sozialen und medizinischen Sektor tätig sind, präsentiert die Studie eine Typologie von Lebensführung im Kontext von Religion und Berufstätigkeit. Rekonstruiert wird an Einzelfällen, wie im biografischen Verlauf Krisen mit Bezug zu Religion und Erwerbsarbeit entstehen und wie Vereinbarkeit durch eine Fusion, Separation oder flexible Grenzziehung zwischen den Lebenssphären Religion und Arbeit hergestellt wird. Die Autorin Linda E. Hennig forscht zur Weitergabe von Religion in Familien in einem Projekt der John Templeton Foundation am Centrum für Religion und Moderne der Universität Münster." (Verlagsangaben)

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Lauri, Triin, Kaire Põder & Rossella Ciccia (2020): Pathways to gender equality. A configurational analysis of childcare instruments and outcomes in 21 European countries. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 54, H. 5, S. 646-665. DOI:10.1111/spol.12562

Abstract

"The ability to produce desired outcomes represents an important basis of the legitimacy of social policies. Nonetheless, policy outcomes have not systematically figured in the analysis of childcare regimes despite growing political interest in issues such as female employment, gender wage gap, and men's involvement in childcare. In this article, we use fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to investigate the relationship between the configuration of policy instruments, attitudes toward childcare and outcomes in 21 European countries. Our results show that there is only one mix of policy instruments consistently linked with positive gen- der equality outcomes and this route has the quality of the universal caregiver model. It also demonstrates that both a combination of policy instruments and favorable attitudinal factors are necessary to produce desirable outcomes in the gender division of paid work and unpaid childcare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Petrongolo, Barbara & Maddalena Ronchi (2020): A Survey of Gender Gaps through the Lens of the Industry Structure and Local Labor Markets. (CEP discussion paper 1688), London, 39 S.

Abstract

"In this paper we discuss some strands of the recent literature on the evolution of gender gaps and their driving forces. We will revisit key stylized facts about gender gaps in employment and wages in a few high-income countries. We then discuss and build on one gender-neutral force behind the rise in female employment, namely the rise of the service economy. This is also related to the polarization of female employment and to the geographic distribution of jobs, which is expected to be especially relevant for female employment prospects. We finally turn to currently debated causes of remaining gender gaps and discuss existing evidence on labor market consequences of women's heavier caring responsibilities in the household. In particular, we highlight how women's stronger distaste for commuting time may feed into gender pay gaps by making women more willing to trade off steeper wage gains for shorter commutes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Solaz, Anne, Marika Jalovaara, Michaela Kreyenfeld, Silvia Meggiolaro, Dimitri Mortelmans & Inge Pasteels (2020): Unemployment and separation: Evidence from five European countries. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 32, H. 1, S. 145-176. DOI:10.20377/jfr-368

Abstract

"Seit der 1970er Jahren zeichnen sich viele europäische Länder durch hohe Trennungsraten wie auch hohe Arbeitslosenquoten aus. Bislang ist jedoch unklar, in welchem Zusammenhang ökonomische Entwicklungen und die Stabilität von Partnerschaften stehen. Dieser Beitrag befasst sich damit, wie Arbeitslosigkeit, gemessen auf der Mikro- und Makroebene, das Trennungsrisiko in fünf europäischen Ländern in der Zeit vor der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise beeinflusst hat. Auf Basis umfassender Längsschnittdaten aus Belgien, Finnland, Frankreich, Deutschland und Italien zeigen die empirischen Analysen, in der diskrete Zeitmodelle verwendet werden, dass Arbeitslosigkeit in allen Ländern das Trennungsrisiko prinzipiell erhöht. Während sich vor allem auf der Mikroebene zeigt, dass die individuelle Arbeitslosigkeitserfahrung des Mannes einen positiven Einfluss auf das Trennungsrisiko ausübt, ergeben sich jedoch keine statistisch signifikanten Zusammenhänge auf der Makroebene. Der Einfluss der Arbeitslosigkeit der Frau ist weniger stark ausgeprägt als jene des Mannes und variiert deutlich zwischen den Ländern. In Deutschland und Italien, wo bis vor kurzem Familie und Erwerbstätigkeit wenig vereinbar waren, gibt es keinen statistisch signifikanten Zusammenhang von weiblicher Arbeitslosigkeit und Trennungsraten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Barbieri, Paolo, Giorgio Cutuli, Raffaele Guetto & Stefani Scherer (2019): Part-time employment as a way to increase women's employment: (Where) does it work? In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Jg. 60, H. 4, S. 249-268. DOI:10.1177/0020715219849463

Abstract

"Part-time employment has repeatedly been proposed as a solution for integrating women into the labor market; however, empirical evidence supporting a causal link is mixed. In this text, we investigate the extent to which increasing part-time employment is a valid means of augmenting women's labor market participation. We pay particular attention to the institutional context and the related characteristics of part-time employment in European countries to test the conditions under which this solution is a viable option. The results reveal that part-time employment may strengthen female employment in Continental Europe and especially in Southern Europe, where an increase in part-time employment - even if it is demand-side driven - leads to greater employment participation among women. We also discuss some policy implications and trade-offs: Although part-time work can lead to higher numbers of employed women, it does so at the cost of increasing gendered labor market segregation. We analyze data from the European Labor Force Survey (EU-LFS) 1992 - 2011 for 19 countries and 188 regions and exploit regional variation over time while controlling for time-constant regional characteristics, time-varying regional labor market features, and (time-varying) confounding factors at the national level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bosquet, Clément, Pierre-Philippe Combes & Cecilia García-Peñalosa (2019): Gender and promotions: Evidence from academic economists in France. In: The Scandinavian journal of economics, Jg. 121, H. 3, S. 1020-1053. DOI:10.1111/sjoe.12300

Abstract

"The promotion system for French academic economists provides an interesting environment to examine the promotion gap between men and women. Promotions occur through national competitions for which we have information both on candidates and on those eligible to be candidates. We can then examine the two stages of the process: application and success. Women are less likely to seek promotion, and this accounts for up to 76% of the promotion gap. Being a woman also reduces the probability of promotion conditional on applying, although the gender difference is not statistically significant. Our results highlight the importance of the decision to apply." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Canaan, Serena (2019): Parental leave, household specialization and children's well-being. (IZA discussion paper 12420), Bonn, 58 S.

Abstract

"Many countries offer new parents long periods of paid leave. Proponents argue that parental leave programs can reduce gender gaps in the labor market, support marital stability and promote children's well-being. In this paper, I show that lengthy leaves can instead work against several of these intended goals. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that a 3-year expansion of paid leave in France increases household specialization by inducing mothers to exit the labor force and fathers to raise their work hours. The leave further discourages marriages among cohabiting couples and harms children's verbal development." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cavapozzi, Danilo, Simona Fiore & Giacomo Pasini (2019): Family dissolution and labour supply decisions over the life cycle. In: A. Börsch-Supan, J. Bristle, K. Andersen-Ranberg, A. Brugiavini, F. Jusot, H. Litwin & G. Weber (Hrsg.) (2019): Health and socio-economic status over the life course : First results from SHARE Waves 6 and 7, S. 149-155. DOI:10.1515/9783110617245-015

Abstract

"Our study findings suggest strong gender differences in the effect of household dissolution on employment probability. Whereas household dissolution has a negligible effect on men's employment behaviour, the employment probability of women increases by 4.4 per cent during the year of a household split and by 8.6 per cent during the year of divorce. The effect is driven by women with children. Although both household split and divorce shape women labour supply also after their occurrence, we found an anticipated effect on employment choices only for divorce. This pattern might be driven by the choice of women to undertake job search activities only after they stop living as a couple with their former partners. Finally, we consistently find lower magnitudes when looking at household splits compared with divorce, for both men and women.
The policy implication of these findings is that once within-family income support disappears because a family dissolves, those more at risk - women out of the labour force with dependent children - should be given assistance to manage their work and family responsibilities. Access to childcare services and flexible work arrangements may help smooth the consequences of family dissolution." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chłoń-Domińczak, Agnieszka, Iga Magda & Pawel A. Strzelecki (2019): Patterns of labour market participation and their impact on the well-being of older women. In: A. Börsch-Supan, J. Bristle, K. Andersen-Ranberg, A. Brugiavini, F. Jusot, H. Litwin & G. Weber (Hrsg.) (2019): Health and socio-economic status over the life course : First results from SHARE Waves 6 and 7, S. 129-139. DOI:10.1515/9783110617245-013

Abstract

"We focus on identifying the patterns of the full and interrupted careers of women in 13 European countries that participated in the third and subsequent waves of SHARE, in particular the retrospective SHARELIFE survey. Using the survey results, we distinguish women who have had full or interrupted labour market careers. We also analyse differences in the patterns of women's interrupted careers among countries. We then assess whether a link exists between the pattern of labour market career and the current socio-economic situation of older women, including their health, income and life satisfaction levels. Thus, we contribute to studies on various dimensions of life at later stages." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mikkel, Barslund & Schomaker Lea (2019): Grandparental childcare and parent's labour supply. Evidence from Europe. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 68, H. 4, S. 371-391. DOI:10.3790/sfo.68.4.371

Abstract

"Wir untersuchen die Auswirkungen der Kinderbetreuung von Großeltern auf das Arbeitskräfteangebot der Eltern in zwölf europäischen Ländern die in SHARE vertreten sind im Zeitraum 2004 - 2015. Ein instrumentalvariabler Ansatz wird verwendet, um mit der Endogenität umzugehen. Der Zugang zu Großeltern, die sich um kleine Kinder kümmern, erhöht die Bereitschaft von Müttern zur Arbeit um 13 Prozentpunkte. Für Väter lassen sich keine Effekte feststellen. Das Ausmaß der Auswirkungen von großelterlicher Kinderbetreuung unterscheidet sich von Land zu Land, ist jedoch für die meisten untersuchten Länder von Bedeutung. Der Effekt ist für Kinder im Vorschulalter am größten, wird jedoch bei Frauen mit Kindern in der Altersgruppe von 8 bis 10 Jahren immer noch auf 8 Prozentpunkte geschätzt. Es gibt Hinweise darauf, dass Mütter mit niedrigem Bildungsstand größere Auswirkungen haben, allerdings ist der Unterschied gering. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die anhaltende Politik zur Verlängerung des Erwerbslebens von Arbeitnehmern in der Altersgruppe von 55 bis 64 Jahren die Bindung von Müttern am Arbeitsmarkt beeinträchtigen könnte, indem die zur Verfügung stehende Zeit für großelterliche Kinderbetreuung begrenzt wird. Eine erhöhte Verfügbarkeit von Kindergarten- und Kindergarteneinrichtungen kann die Auswirkungen auf das Arbeitskräfteangebot von Müttern zwar vermindern, aber nicht vollständig auflösen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Milner, Susan, Hélène Demilly & Sophie Pochic (2019): Bargained equality: The strengths and weaknesses of workplace gender equality agreements and plans in France. In: BJIR, Jg. 57, H. 2, S. 275-301. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12437

Abstract

"'Bargained equality' reflects wider characteristics of French employment relations whereby state-driven collective bargaining is a major mode of regulation but is based on weak workplace bargaining cultures outside the largest firms. This article focuses on duties on French employers to bargain on gender equality. It presents findings of a project evaluating workplace agreements and plans on gender equality, based on a sample of 186 agreements submitted in 2014-2015, in 10 sectors, and in-depth interviews in 20 companies. Despite a rise in formal compliance due to stronger enforcement since 2012, our analysis shows that most companies submitting plans or agreements do not systematically address quantitative measurement of pay or other gender gaps. As well as sectoral differences, the analysis also identifies 'generational effects': processes of change which occur as collective agreements expire and are replaced are dependent on local dynamics of bargaining. Based on this analysis, we argue that attention should be paid to the resources available to local bargaining actors, in order to promote an equality agenda." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Rebérioux, Antoine & Gwenaël Roudaut (2019): The role of rookie female directors in a post-quota period. Gender inequalities within French boards. In: Industrial relations, Jg. 58, H. 3, S. 423-483. DOI:10.1111/irel.12238

Abstract

"The board-level gender quota enacted in France has induced the massive arrival in corporate boards of a new population - namely, women with no prior board experience. We examine the positions and the compensation of these 'rookie female directors.' We show that, conditional on their individual characteristics and firm effects, rookie female directors have had a limited access to the key positions within boards and have suffered from a significant compensation gap. We interpret this evidence of positional segregation as resulting from gender stereotypes that have persisted in the process of rookie female directors' integration within boards." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Rueda-Cantuche, José Manuel, Zornitsa Kutlina-Dimitrova & Nuno Sousa (2019): Female participation in EU exporting activities: jobs and wages. (DG Trade Chief Economist note / European Commission 2019-3), Brüssel, 21 S.

Abstract

"This analysis sheds new insights on the gender-balance of the employment opportunities supported by extra-EU exports. It shows that in 2017 more than 13 million female workers in the EU had jobs thanks to the exports of goods and services to the rest of the world. However, there is a gender gap when it comes to the employment prospects offered by extra-EU exports: only 38% of the jobs dependent on exports to the world are taken up by women. The analysis suggests that such gender gap is largely due to the concentration of female employment in the less export-oriented sectors, notably in services. Furthermore, the current note makes clear that labour compensation for female workers in exports-supported jobs stagnated in comparison to total employment over the time period considered. Although all exports-supported jobs benefit from a wage premium, there is a gender wage gap of 4 p.p." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sánchez-Mira, Núria & Jacqueline O'Reilly (2019): Household employment and the crisis in Europe. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 33, H. 3, S. 422-443. DOI:10.1177/0950017018809324

Abstract

"The 2008 crisis had a significant impact on household employment in some European countries. An analysis of the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions generated a new cross-national typology of household employment structures and showed how these changed during the crisis and austerity period, capturing the experiences of high and low qualified households. Findings indicate that dual earning households are not always a consequence of gender equality but result from economic necessity or employment opportunities. The re-emergence of traditional male breadwinner households is often the result of female unemployment, especially for lower educated women. An increase in female single earners and workless households is evident in countries hit hardest by the employment crisis. The value of this cross-national typology, rooted in the interaction of educational effects and employment opportunities, is allowing comparison both within and between European countries, going beyond established typologies based on policy frameworks or gender cultures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bick, Alexander, Bettina Brüggemann, Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln & Hannah Paule-Paludkiewicz (2018): Long-term changes in married couples' labor supply and taxes. Evidence from the US and Europe since the 1980s. (IZA discussion paper 11824), Bonn, 35 S.

Abstract

"We document the time-series of employment rates and hours worked per employed by married couples in the US and seven European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK) from the early 1980s through 2016. Relying on a model of joint household labor supply decisions, we quantitatively analyze the role of nonlinear labor income taxes for explaining the evolution of hours worked of married couples over time, using as inputs the full country- and year-specific statutory labor income tax codes. We further evaluate the role of consumption taxes, gender and educational wage premia, and the educational composition. The model is quite successful in replicating the time series behavior of hours worked per employed married woman, with labor income taxes being the key driving force. It does however capture only part of the secular increase in married women's employment rates in the 1980s and early 1990s, suggesting an important role for factors not considered in this paper. We will make the non-linear tax codes used as an input into the analysis available as a user-friendly and easily integrable set of Matlab codes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Castellano, Rosalia & Antonella Rocca (2018): Gender disparities in European labour markets. A comparison between female and male employees. In: International Labour Review, Jg. 157, H. 4, S. 589-608. DOI:10.1111/ilr.12052

Abstract

"In recent decades, the dramatic increase in female labour force participation was connected to significant changes in the economic opportunities reserved to women. However, gender disparities in the labour market still persist in many forms.
In this study we want to verify if in the European labour markets higher gender differentials are directly connected with bad economic conditions. Starting from the GGLMI, a composite indicator designed and developed by the authors in a previous study, besides updating the results, we construct other three composite indicators analysing separately female and male conditions in the labour market and the gender gap." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dotti Sani, Guliana Maria (2018): The economic crisis and changes in work - family arrangements in six European countries. In: Journal of European social policy, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 177-193. DOI:10.1177/0958928717700566

Abstract

"Over the past decades, there has been a substantial increase in female labour force participation, and the number of dual-earner and female-earner households has risen throughout western countries. However, the recent economic crisis has caused large losses in employment for both women and men, potentially yielding unexpected consequences for the evolution of work - family arrangements. This article carries out a comparative analysis of the relationship between the 2008/2009 economic crisis and work - family arrangements in Europe. Using data for six countries from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, this article fills a gap in the literature by addressing three issues: (1) whether work - family arrangements have changed from before to after the beginning of the economic downturn in countries with different gender and welfare regimes (Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom), (2) whether changes in work - family arrangements have occurred at different levels of the social strata and (3) whether couples have moved from dual-earner to male- or female-breadwinner. The results indicate changes in work - family arrangements in those countries worst hit by the economic crisis, Greece and Spain, where dual-earner and male-breadwinner households have decreased and no-earner and female-main-earner households have increased. Moreover, the results show that in these two countries, all social strata - proxied through women's level of education - have been affected by the crisis. In contrast, only moderate changes in work - family arrangements among all women can be observed in countries less hit by the economic downturn. The findings for the two southern European countries are troubling, as the increases in no-earner and female-breadwinner households point to worsening economic conditions throughout the population and to a halt in the process that for several decades had been leading to more equality in the distribution of employment between genders." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dupray, Arnaud & Ariane Pailhé (2018): Does employment uncertainty particularly impact fertility of children of North African immigrants in France? A gender perspective. In: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Jg. 44, H. 3, S. 401-424. DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2017.1313107

Abstract

"This paper investigates whether unemployment and insecure employment lead to delaying first childbearing in France, and whether these impacts are likely to differ between children of immigrants from North Africa and natives across genders. Data come from pooling two cohorts of French school-leavers followed over 7-10 years. Findings show that women of North African descent have a first child later than native women, whereas results for men are not significantly ethnic origin-differentiated. Unemployment and non-permanent employment are related to postponement of fertility for both men and women. Current unemployment affects the children of immigrants from North Africa more than their counterparts with no direct migration background. Persistent unemployment does not have any significant effect on childbearing for the women of North African immigrant descent, while it strongly reduces that of the men. While employment uncertainty thus tends to delay first parenthood, its impact seems to occur more through the timing of couple formation than through the timing of conception among children of immigrants from North Africa." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fric, Karel & Camilla Galli da Bino (2018): Discrimination against men at work. Experiences in five countries. Working conditions. (Eurofound research report / European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Dublin, 18 S. DOI:10.2806/835224

Abstract

"While discrimination against women at work has long been a mainstream topic in research literature, only marginal attention has been paid to discrimination against men. A number of factors may be responsible for this, including change in traditional occupational roles, cultural perceptions of the 'natures' of men and women, and men's own perception (or lack of perception) of discrimination. This short report investigates whether men face discrimination based on sex in the workplace. It looks at the results of Eurofound's 2015 European Working Conditions Survey and then examines cases from five countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France and the UK). Discrimination is examined in such areas as recruitment, education, healthcare-related services, working time and parenting, and sexual harassment. The cases demonstrate that men do indeed experience discrimination because of their sex. The cases appear to be more concentrated in female-dominated contexts and in instances of adjustment of working time in relation to parental duties." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Grigoli, Francesco, Zsóka Kóczán & Petia Topalova (2018): Drivers of labor force participation in advanced economies. Macro and micro evidence. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 265), Maastricht, 39 S.

Abstract

"Despite significant headwinds from population aging in most advanced economies (AEs), labor force participation rates show remarkably divergent trajectories both across countries and across different groups of workers. Participation increased sharply among prime-age women and, more recently, older workers, but fell among the young and prime-age men. This paper investigates the determinants of these trends using aggregate and individual-level data. We find that the bulk of the dramatic increase in the labor force attachment of prime-age women and older workers in the past three decades can be explained by changes in labor market policies and institutions, structural transformation, and gains in educational attainment. Technological advances such as automation, on the other hand, weighed on the labor supply of prime-age and older workers. In light of the dramatic demographic shifts expected in the coming decades in many AEs, our findings underscore the need to invest in education and training, reform the tax system, reduce early retirement incentives, improve the job-matching process, and help individuals combine family and work life in order to alleviate the pressures from aging on labor supply." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Matteazzi, Eleonora, Ariane Pailhé & Anne Solaz (2018): Part-time employment, the gender wage gap and the role of wage-setting institutions. Evidence from 11 European countries. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 24, H. 3, S. 221-241. DOI:10.1177/0959680117738857

Abstract

"We examine how far the over-representation of women in part-time jobs can explain the gender gap in hourly earnings, and also investigate how far wage-setting institutions are correlated with the overall gender wage gap and the female part-time wage gap. Using European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 2009 data for 11 European countries, we implement a double decomposition of the gender wage gap: between men and women employed full-time and between full-time and part-time working women. This shows that the wage penalty of women employed part-time occurs mainly through the segregation of part-time jobs, but the full-time gender pay gap remains mostly unexplained. At the macro level, the gender wage gap tends to be higher in countries where part-time employment is more widespread. Some wage-setting institutions seem to reduce the female full-time/part-time pay gap and the gender gap among full-time workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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de Muizon, Marc Jourdain (2018): Why do married women work less in the UK than in France? In: Labour economics, Jg. 51, H. April, S. 86-96. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2017.12.002

Abstract

"Compared to their French counterparts, British married women choose fewer working hours but similar employment rates. This is driven mostly by the labour supply choices of those with young children. To understand why, I estimate a structural labour supply model and simulate counterfactual hours distributions. Differences in non-work income and childcare prices together explain about two-thirds of the observed labour supply gap for mothers of young children. Most prime-aged British married women also face significantly lower taxes compared to their France counterparts though they do not work significantly more aggregate hours. I estimate strong preferences differences across the Channel." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Elsevier) ((en))

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Albrecht, Clara, Anita Fichtl & Peter Redler (2017): Fathers in charge? Parental leave policies for fathers in Europe. In: ifo DICE report, Jg. 15, H. 1, S. 49-51.

Abstract

"Despite the fact that most parental leave policies in European countries have also entitled men, take-up rates by fathers have been low. In turn, the traditional male breadwinner model has prevailed in the EU, even though the level of education of men and women has converged fully. At the same time, fathers do want to spend time with their newborn children (Huerta et al. 2013). A trend towards the implementation of parental leave policies for fathers - also known as 'daddy months' or 'daddy quotas' - has emerged. The potential goals of these policies are greater gender equality, both in the family and in the labour market, a better work-life-balance for families and stronger bonding between father and child. Encouraged by state regulations and the EU-Directive 2010/18/EU2 parental leave take-up rates have been rising over the past decade, but still remain low." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Castellano, Rosalia & Rocca Antonella (2017): The dynamic of the gender gap in the European labour market in the years of economic crisis. In: Quality and Quantity. International Journal of Methodology, Jg. 51, H. 3, S. 1337-1357. DOI:10.1007/s11135-016-0334-1

Abstract

"Closing the gender gap in the labour market is one of the main goals of European Union and part of a wider effort to eliminate social inequalities. In recent decades, all developed countries have suffered a deep global economic crisis, that has increased social and economic inequalities. In Europe, the crisis involved problems of European stability and growth, but the crisis did not affect the euro-area countries to the same extent, and the consequences and recovery were correspondingly asymmetrical. In this paper, we analyse the changes that occurred in the gender gap in the European labour markets from 2007 to 2012 to understand if the recession has further increased or reduced the gender differentials. At this aim, we combine the use of two different statistical methodologies. Through the composite indicator methodology, we test how the rank of countries in relation to gender equality has changed in these years. In addition, the Dynamic Factor Analysis allows us to identify the factors that drive these changes. Moreover, the contextual analysis of the measures that were utilized to face the crisis could give policy makers some useful suggestions on the most efficacious actions to take." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Dolado, Juan J., Cecilia García-Peñalosa & Linas Tarasonis (2017): The changing nature of gender selection into employment. Europe over the Great Recession. (IZA discussion paper 10729), Bonn, 40 S.

Abstract

"The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role played by selectivity issues induced by nonemployment in explaining gender wage gap patterns in the EU since the onset of the Great Recession. We show that male selection into the labour market, traditionally disregarded, has increased. This is particularly the case in peripheral EU countries, where dramatic drops in male unskilled jobs have taken place during the crisis. As regards female selection, traditionally positive, we document mixed findings. While it has declined in some countries, as a result of increasing female LFP due to an added-worker effect, it has become even more positive in other countries. This is due to adverse labour demand shifts in industries which are intensive in temporary work where women are over-represented. These adverse shifts may have more than offset the rise in unskilled female labour supply." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dotti Sani, Giulia M. & Matteo Luppi (2017): How long is too long? Long-term effects of maternity-related job interruptions on mothers' income in 10 European countries. (Carlo Alberto notebooks 513), Turin, 27 S.

Abstract

"This article inquires whether work interruptions due to childbearing and childrearing have long-term effects on mothers' absolute and relative income in later life in ten European countries. Previous studies have found significant differences in earned income among prime-age women and men, and mothers and fathers, with mothers earning significantly less than men and childless women, both in absolute and relative terms. Many factors account for such differences, including mothers' reduced working hours and productivity, the type of job, job interruptions, self-selection and statistical discrimination. However, while research has investigated the short- and medium-term consequences of having children on mothers absolute and relative earnings, less is known about the long-term effects of childbearing and childrearing on mothers' income in later life. In this article, we investigate whether the length of maternity-related work interruptions is associated with income inequalities at a later age. The analysis, based on four waves of SHARE data (N 7,746), indicates that while short work interruptions are not negatively associated with mothers' absolute and relative earned income in later life, long work interruptions and a failure to return to work have a large impact on women's long-term economic wellbeing, especially in countries where decommodification through family and pension policies is limited." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Foster, Liam, Ruby Chau & Sam Yu (2017): The impact of defamilisation measures on gender and pensions. A comparison between the UK and seven other European countries. In: The journal of poverty and social justice, Jg. 25, H. 3, S. 199-217. DOI:10.1332/175982717X14999284090397

Abstract

"This article uses individual-based and state-led care-focused defamilisation indices to explore women's employment opportunities and experiences and their implications for pension contributions. These two types of defamilisation indices are applied to eight European countries (Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK) which shows that the UK has less generous defamilisation measures than its European counterparts. It indicates that the use of defamilisation measures along with pension policies which are not based on the male breadwinner ideology have the capacity to moderate economic inequalities between men and women in older age." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Policy Press) ((en))

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Frerk, Timm & Sigrid Leitner (2017): Zur Vereinbarkeit von Pflege und Beruf. Quantitative und qualitative Perspektiven. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 66, H. 3-4, S. 267-283. DOI:10.3790/sfo.66.3-4.267

Abstract

"In diesem Artikel wird die Frage der Vereinbarkeit von Pflege und Erwerbstätigkeit aus quantitativer und qualitativer Perspektive in den Blick genommen. Im ersten Teil werden der Einfluss von familisierenden und defamilisierenden sozialpolitischen Maßnahmen auf die Veränderung des Erwerbsstatus von zuvor vollerwerbstätigen Pflegepersonen in 34 europäischen Regionen anhand von Mehrebenenmodellen analysiert. Es kann gezeigt werden, dass mit steigenden lohnkompensierenden Leistungen die Aufgabe der Erwerbsarbeit wahrscheinlicher wird. Der qualitative Abschnitt fokussiert erwerbstätige pflegende Söhne in Deutschland und zeigt, dass die Erwerbsarbeit trotz Pflege aufrechterhalten bleibt. Dabei wird die Bedeutung informeller Unterstützung und defamilisierender Maßnahmen für die Vereinbarkeit dargestellt. Abschließend wird der Mehrwert beider Forschungsperspektiven herausgearbeitet." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Haan, Peter, Anna Hammerschmid & Carla Rowold (2017): Geschlechtsspezifische Renten- und Gesundheitsunterschiede in Deutschland, Frankreich und Dänemark. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 84, H. 43, S. 971-974.

Abstract

"In dieser Studie werden die geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede von Renteneinkommen in Deutschland, Dänemark und Frankreich quantifiziert. Der Gender Pension Gap liegt demnach in Deutschland höher als in Frankreich und weitaus höher als in Dänemark. Somit ergibt sich eine ähnliche Rangfolge wie während der Erwerbsphase. Auch beim Gender Pay Gap liegt der Unterschied zwischen Männern und Frauen in Deutschland am höchsten. Ferner wird hier untersucht, ob es in den drei Ländern geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede bei der Gesundheit im Alter gibt. Bei der Selbsteinschätzung der allgemeinen Gesundheit gibt es für das Jahr 2013 in keinem der untersuchten Länder erkennbare Differenzen zwischen Männern und Frauen. Es zeigt sich jedoch, dass geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede bei der Häufigkeit depressiver Symptome dem Muster des Gender Pension Gaps folgen: Der Unterschied zwischen den Geschlechtern ist in Dänemark wiederum weitaus am geringsten. Obwohl diese Studie keine kausalen Zusammenhänge zwischen Einkommen und Gesundheit misst, sprechen die Ergebnisse dafür, dass Maßnahmen zur Verringerung des Gender Pay Gaps nicht nur Unterschiede während des Erwerbslebens verringern, sondern auch zu einer Reduktion des Gender Pension Gaps und zu einer Besserstellung der Frauen, was die Anfälligkeit für depressive Symptome angeht, führen können" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kasearu, Kairi, Lara Maestripieri & Costanzo Ranci (2017): Women at risk: The impact of labour-market participation, education and household structure on the economic vulnerability of women through Europe. In: European Societies, Jg. 19, H. 2, S. 202-221. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2016.1268703

Abstract

"While increasing female employment has contributed to reducing gender inequality, it has also exposed women to higher economic insecurity. The contribution of this paper is to understand the social conditions that might expose women to economic insecurity in different European cities. Specific aspects have been considered: (a) reduced (part time) work, (b) hampered labour-market participation (unemployment, involuntary inactivity due to care tasks), (c) different household structures (single/couple; with/without young children) or (d) educational level of both partners in the household. Data are based on a survey carried out in 2012 in seven European cities, representative of the different welfare/gender regimes in Europe. The results show that the most important divide is between women cohabiting/not cohabiting with a partner. Splitting the analysis on these two groups of women, differentiated configurations of conditions exposing women to economic insecurity have emerged in different welfare/care regimes. While Nordic, Central-eastern and Anglo-Saxon cities substantiate an individualised model of exposure to economic insecurity mostly driven by women's participation in the labour market, in Continental and Mediterranean cities insecurity mainly depends on the educational levels (mainly of the partner in the case of coupled women) and the organisation of the household (presence of children)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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O'Brien, Margaret & Karin Wall (Hrsg.) (2017): Comparative perspectives on work-life balance and gender equality. Fathers on leave alone. (Life course research and social policies 06), Cham: Springer London, 266 S., Anhang. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-42970-0

Abstract

"This book portrays men's experiences of home alone leave and how it affects their lives and family gender roles in different policy contexts and explores how this unique parental leave design is implemented in these contrasting policy regimes. The book brings together three major theoretical strands: social policy, in particular the literature on comparative leave policy developments; family and gender studies, in particular the analysis of gendered divisions of work and care and recent shifts in parenting and work-family balance; critical studies of men and masculinities, with a specific focus on fathers and fathering in contemporary western societies and life-courses. Drawing on empirical data from in-depth interviews with fathers across eleven countries, the book shows that the experiences and social processes associated with fathers' home alone leave involve a diversity of trends, revealing both innovations and absence of change, including pluralization as well as the constraining influence of policy, gender, and social context. As a theoretical and empirical book it raises important issues on modernization of the life course and the family in contemporary societies. The book will be of particular interest to scholars in comparing western societies and welfare states as well as to scholars seeking to understand changing work-life policies and family life in societies with different social and historical pathways." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schleutker, Elina (2017): Women's work-life preferences. Reconceptualization and cross-country description over time. In: European Societies, Jg. 19, H. 3, S. 292-312. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2017.1290266

Abstract

"According to Hakim's preference theory, women can be divided into three groups based on their work - family preferences: home-centered, adaptive and work-centered. Here it is argued that Hakim's conceptualization of the adaptive women is unsatisfactory, as it does not take into consideration how the adaptive women want to combine work and family. The paper offers a reconceptualization of the adaptive group. Based on when women want to return to employment after childbirth, and how many hours they would like to work, three types of adaptive women are distinguished: the home-oriented adaptive women, the truly adaptive women and the work-oriented adaptive women. To demonstrate the fruitfulness of the reconceptualization, a cross-sectional descriptive study of women's preferences over time is conducted by employing data from International Social Survey Programme." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bertram, Hans (2016): Die Rushhour des Lebens: Auswege und Lösungsmodelle. In: Archiv für Wissenschaft und Praxis der sozialen Arbeit, Jg. 47, H. 2, S. 16-33.

Abstract

"Aus der Rushhour des Lebens, in der berufliche Anforderungen und die Fürsorge für Kinder vereinbart werden müssen, gibt es keine einfachen Auswege. Viele Lösungsmodelle scheitern daran, dass die notwendige Zeit für Kinder nicht beliebig disponibel ist und dass noch immer strukturelle Einkommensunterschiede zwischen Männern und Frauen bestehen. Zudem benachteiligen sie Alleinerziehende. In diesem Beitrag werden die zeitlichen Belastungen von Eltern im europäischen Vergleich untersucht und auf dieser Grundlage flexible Arbeitszeiten im Lebenslauf als mögliche Lösung vorgestellt." (Autorenreferat, © Deutscher Verein für öffentliche und private Fürsorge e.V.)

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Bertrand, Marianne, Patricia Cortés, Claudia Olivetti & Jessica Pan (2016): Social norms, labor market opportunities, and the marriage gap for skilled women. (NBER working paper 22015), Cambrige, Mass., 65 S. DOI:10.3386/w22015

Abstract

"In most of the developed world, skilled women marry at a lower rate than unskilled women. We document heterogeneity across countries in how the marriage gap for skilled women has evolved over time. As labor market opportunities for women have improved, the marriage gap has been growing in some countries but shrinking in others. We discuss a theoretical model in which the (negative) social attitudes towards working women might contribute towards the lower marriage rate of skilled women, and might also induce a non-linear relationship between their labor market prospects and their marriage outcomes. The model is suited to understand the dynamics of the marriage gap for skilled women over time within a country with set social attitudes towards working women. The model also delivers predictions about how the marriage gap for skilled women should react to changes in their labor market opportunities across countries with more or less conservative attitudes towards working women. We test the key predictions of this model in a panel of 23 developed countries, as well as in a panel of US states." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bünning, Mareike & Matthias Pollmann-Schult (2016): Family policies and fathers' working hours. Cross-national differences in the paternal labour supply. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 30, H. 2, S. 256-274. DOI:10.1177/0950017015578999

Abstract

"Despite extensive research on the effect of family policies on the labour supply of mothers, little is known about how these policies affect fathers' labour market outcomes. Using European panel data (EU-SILC) from 2003 to 2009 and multi-level models, this study analyses the effect of family policies on fathers' working hours. The results indicate that fathers work less than childless men if they live in countries that offer well paid, non-transferable parental leave for fathers, short parental leave for mothers and generous family allowances. The effects, however, are strongly contingent on fathers' educational levels. Whereas short maternal leaves are associated with shorter working hours among highly educated fathers, generous family allowances and father friendly parental leave schemes reduce the working hours of less educated fathers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Castro-García, Carmen & Maria Pazos-Moran (2016): Parental leave policy and gender equality in Europe. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 51-73. DOI:10.1080/13545701.2015.1082033

Abstract

"This article uses data from 2008 - 10 to analyze parental leave policies in twenty-one European countries and their influence on men's behavior. It examines entitlement characteristics, such as nontransferability, duration, payment, compulsory period, and other policies to assess their effect on the proportion of leave men use out of the total parental leave in each country. The findings, which suggest that a large majority of men take nontransferable and highly paid leave, and a small minority take other types, provide the basis for developing the Parental Leave Equality Index (PLEI). PLEI ranks countries by the degree to which parental leave policies reinforce or diminish the gendered division of labor. Results indicate that although Iceland's parental leave policies do the most to advance gender equity, no country has equal, nontransferable, and well-paid leave for each parent. This policy arrangement would be a precondition to men's and women's equal participation in childcare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Collet, Roger & Diego Legros (2016): Dynamics of female labour force participation in France. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 48, H. 30, S. 2807-2821. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2015.1130787

Abstract

"This article formulates and estimates a structural intertemporal model of labour force participation. Relying on theoretical characterizations derived from an economic model of lifetime behaviour, we estimate a dynamic probit model with correlated random effects using longitudinal data to allow for a dynamic structure. The model is applied to a panel of married women drawn from the 1997 - 2002 French Labour Force surveys in order to represent their participation behaviour. It is estimated by maximum simulated likelihood. Our results show that women's decisions to go out to work are characterized by significant state dependence, unobserved heterogeneity and negative serial correlation in the transitory error component. In addition, we find that the presence of young children in a woman's household reduces her labour participation, but unequally according to their age and number. As expected, educational level has a positive impact on women's participation. Last, a rise in the husband's wage is found to raise female participation initially and to lower it subsequently. This empirical finding suggests that leisure may not systematically be a normal good, contrary to what is frequently assumed in the literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Davaki, Konstantina (2016): Differences in men's and women's work, care and leisure time. Study for the FEMM committee. Brüssel, 63 S. DOI:10.2861/381996

Abstract

"The economic crisis has profoundly affected the labour market and private life of men and women. This study examines the interrelation of policies with the ways women and men allocate time to paid work, care and leisure and the gendered outcomes produced in different socio-economic and cultural settings. It shows that policies are powerful tools which can contribute to a better work-life balance and transform gender roles in accordance to the targets of EU2020 strategy and EU28 commitment to gender equality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Eigenmann, Laura, Yvonne Holl, Eszter Kováts, Jonathan Menge, Kathrin Nink, Alexander Rosenplänter, Anne Salles & Christina Schildmann (2016): Auf dem Weg zur Geschlechtergerechtigkeit? Berichte aus Dänemark, Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien, Österreich, Schweden, Schweiz, Ungarn und USA. Berlin, 68 S.

Abstract

"Die Gleichberechtigung von Männern und Frauen gehört zu den Grundnormen moderner Gesellschaften. Die tatsächliche Durchsetzung der Gleichberechtigung ist dabei traditionell ein zentrales Projekt progressiver politischer Kräfte.
Angesichts des demografischen Wandels, der in vielen Industrieländern zu beobachten ist, hat Familien- und Geschlechterpolitik auch an wirtschafts- und bevölkerungspolitischer Bedeutung gewonnen. Vor diesem Hintergrund sind in den vergangenen Jahren - mitunter durch Bündnisse über politische Lager hinweg - erhebliche Fortschritte erzielt worden.
Allerdings formieren sich sowohl in Deutschland als auch in vielen anderen Ländern (neue) konservative und rechtspopulistische Kräfte gegen eine fortschrittliche Geschlechter- und Familienpolitik. Das sogar in Ländern, in denen die Errungenschaften im Feld der Geschlechtergerechtigkeit längst gesellschaftlicher Konsens zu sein schienen.
Diese Studie trägt Erfahrungen und aktuelle familien- und geschlechterpolitische Diskurse aus neun Ländern zusammen. Damit liegt hier nunmehr ein breiter Überblick vor, der Ansätze und Debatten der jeweiligen Länder in Berichten konzise aufbereitet und vergleichbar macht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Feldman, Karie & Brian K. Gran (2016): Is what's best for dads best for families? Paternity leave policies and equity across forty-four nations. In: Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Jg. 43, H. 1, S. 95-119.

Abstract

"In a global economy, paternity leave policies represent one of the most significant expansions of the welfare state that seek to help fathers respond to socio-economic pressures on their work and families. Policy makers who strongly promote socio-economic equity may respond to these global changes with new policy formulae meant to encourage involvement of fathers in their families. Nevertheless, scholars have limited understanding of who benefits from paternity leave policies and what these benefits mean to families. The present study is a comparative analysis of paternity leave policies across forty-four countries. This paper first presents a typology of paternity leave policies. This typology consists of seven criteria that range from duration of benefits to amount of benefits to employment security. This typology is then applied to forty-four countries. The present study demonstrates that a surprisingly small number of countries are devoted to family equity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gauthier, Anne H., Tom Emery & Alzbeta Bartova (2016): The labour market intentions and behaviour of stay-at-home mothers in Western and Eastern Europe. In: Advances in life course research, Jg. 30, H. December, S. 1-15. DOI:10.1016/j.alcr.2015.12.002

Abstract

"Despite recent increases in female labour force participation across Europe, a non-negligible proportion of women continue to remain out of the labour force for short or longer periods of time. Among the six countries included in this paper, stay-at-home mothers represent on average 33% of all mothers with children under the age of 12. Using two waves of data from the Generations and Gender Survey, we examine cross-national differences in the labour market intentions and behaviour of stay-at-home mothers. In particular, we ask the questions of what individual- and societal-level factors influence stay-at-home mothers' intention to join the labour force, and what factors allow (or prevent) them from realizing their intentions. The results reveal that traditional personal attitudes towards working mothers deter stay-at-home mothers from intending to join the labour force. Moreover, such traditional personal attitudes, combined with financial security, further boost mothers' realization of negative work intention (i.e. the intention to stay at home). We also found some evidence of the role of societal context but only in the realization of negative intention." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Halldén, Karin, Asaf Levanon & Tamar Kricheli-Katz (2016): Does the motherhood wage penalty differ by individual skill and country family policy? A longitudinal study of ten European countries. In: Social Politics, Jg. 23, H. 3, S. 363-388. DOI:10.1093/sp/jxv032

Abstract

"Previous research shows considerable variation in the strength of the motherhood wage penalty across countries, which has partially been attributed to differences in policies supporting maternal employment. Although such policies are usually understood to be complementary, their effects on workers - and especially on employees in jobs of diverse skills levels - may differ. Using longitudinal data from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) for ten countries, this article describes the associations of different maternal employment policies with the motherhood wage penalty by skill. Findings from Hausman - Taylor panel models indicate that both a high share of small children in publicly funded child care facilities and long paid maternity leave are associated with a decrease in the motherhood wage penalty regardless of skill level. The standardized total effects were larger for the latter policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Olivetti, Claudia & Barbara Petrongolo (2016): The evolution of gender gaps in industrialized countries. (IZA discussion paper 9659), Bonn, 47 S.

Abstract

"Women in developed economies have made major inroads in labor markets throughout the past century, but remaining gender differences in pay and employment seem remarkably persistent. This paper documents long-run trends in female employment, working hours and relative wages for a wide cross-section of developed economies. It reviews existing work on the factors driving gender convergence, and novel perspectives on remaining gender gaps. The paper finally emphasizes the interplay between gender trends and the evolution of the industry structure. Based on a shift-share decomposition, it shows that the growth in the service share can explain at least half of the overall variation in female hours, both over time and across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Olivetti, Claudia & Barbara Petrongolo (2016): The evolution of gender gaps in industrialized countries. In: Annual review of economics, Jg. 8, S. 405-434. DOI:10.1146/annurev-economics-080614-115329

Abstract

"Women in developed economies have made major advancements in labor markets throughout the past century, but remaining gender differences in pay and employment seem remarkably persistent. This article documents long-run trends in female employment, working hours, and relative wages for a wide cross section of developed economies. It reviews existing work on the factors driving gender convergence, and novel perspectives on remaining gender gaps. Finally, the article emphasizes the interplay between gender trends and the evolution of the industry structure. Based on a shift-share decomposition, it shows that the growth in the service share can explain at least half of the overall variation in female hours, both over time and across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Piasna, Agnieszka & Anke C. Plagnol (2016): Arbeitsplatzqualität und weibliche Erwerbsbeteiligung in Europa. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 69, H. 4, S. 273-282. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2016-4-273

Abstract

"Zahlreiche Untersuchungen belegen, dass die Entscheidung zur beruflichen Weiterarbeit nach der Familiengründung einerseits von persönlichen Umständen abhängt, wie der Notwendigkeit, zum Haushaltseinkommen beizutragen, andererseits aber auch von institutionellen Einflussgrößen wie dem Angebot an erschwinglichen Kinderbetreuungsplätzen. Ergänzend hierzu untersuchen wir anhand von Daten des European Working Conditions Surveys, inwieweit die Qualität der Arbeitsplätze die Erwerbsbiografie von Frauen in den EU-27-Ländern beeinflusst. Unsere Analyse betrachtet drei Einzeldimensionen: Arbeitsplatzsicherheit, Arbeitszeitqualität und intrinsische Arbeitsqualität. Wir stellen fest, dass die Arbeitsplatzqualität von Müttern kleiner Kinder im Schnitt höher ist als die von Frauen ohne betreuungspflichtige Kinder, insbesondere hinsichtlich Arbeitszeit und Beschäftigungssicherheit. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse belegen für die gesamte EU-27 einen weitgehend einheitlichen Zusammenhang zwischen dem Status von Frauen als Mütter kleiner Kinder und der Arbeitsplatzqualität." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Pollmann-Schult, Matthias (2016): What mothers want: The impact of structural and cultural factors on mothers' preferred working hours in Western Europe. In: Advances in life course research, Jg. 29, H. September, S. 16-25. DOI:10.1016/j.alcr.2015.11.002

Abstract

"This study investigates how social policies, gender norms, and the national working time regime shape mothers' preferred working hours. Using data from the European Social Survey (ESS) for 15 countries across Western Europe, the study reveals that generous public child care and cultural support for gender equality are associated with smaller gaps in the preferred working hours between mothers and childless women. High levels of financial support for families, in contrast, predict larger gaps in preferred working hours. The analysis also indicates that a low prevalence of non-standard work and high levels of work-time flexibility reduce the differences in preferred employment hours between mothers and non-mothers. Individual characteristics such as education, gender ideology, and the partners' socioeconomic status greatly impact women's preferred employment hours; however, they do not modify the effect of motherhood. This study concludes that the impact of parenthood on women's employment hours is highly contingent upon various institutional and cultural factors." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Steiber, Nadia, Caroline Berghammer & Barbara Haas (2016): Contextualizing the education effect on women's employment. A cross-national comparative analysis. In: Journal of Marriage and Family, Jg. 78, H. 1, S. 246-261. DOI:10.1111/jomf.12256

Abstract

In einem internationalen Vergleich wird untersucht, ob und in welchem Ausmaß sich Bildung auf die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen auswirkt. Nach der Vorstellung eines Modells der Bildungseffekte auf der Mikroebene bei Paaren und Vorschlägen zum Einbezug moderierender Elemente auf makroökonomischer Ebene wird das Modell auf Grundlage der Daten des 'Generations and Gender- Programms' der Vereinten Nationen empirisch überprüft. Im Ergebnis erweist sich, das Paare mit einem höheren Bildungsgrad generell eher Doppelverdiener-Arrangements suchen, das Ausmaß der Bildungseffekte sich aber nach Ländern und nach der jeweiligen Familienphase unterscheidet. Im Unterschied zu bisherigen Untersuchungen kann nicht festgestellt werden, dass die Bildungseffekte in den Ländern geringer sind, in denen Frauenerwerbstätigkeit gefördert wird. (IAB)

Abstract

"Time and time again it has been proven that more diverse organisations not only outperform those which are less diverse, but are also most likely to attract and retain the most talented professionals.
In addition, the link between women in the workplace and a country's economic growth is closely connected. Despite this, globally women are not paid or rewarded equally to their male colleagues and remain underrepresented in the workplace, as well as proportionally less represented in senior roles.
In compiling this report and recommendations, we spoke to over 11,500 women and men, asking their opinion and views on women in the world of work today.
While the findings vary by country and by sector, we have discovered common themes and sometimes surprising results about what can be done by business leaders today to ensure that women continue to advance in their careers and achieve better representation at senior levels. Our findings are also accompanied with insight from a number of successful women at the top of their professions, who share their experience from both a personal and professional perspective. Although gender diversity has improved and we have seen less of a disparity in the views and experiences between men and women, when compared to our 2015 report, our research shows that organisations can still do significantly more to narrow the gap. They hold the key to advancing women in the workplace and have an opportunity and responsibility to close the gender divide.
This report has been compiled using data gathered between November 2015 and January 2016. The findings of our gender diversity report are based on a survey of over 11,500 male and female respondents from across the world (57% female, 42% male and 1% preferring not to say).
We have used country specific data where there was a minimum of 100 responses per country: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Allègre, Guillaume, Véronique Simonnet & Catherine Sofer (2015): Child care and labour market participation in France. Do monetary incentives matter? In: Annals of economics and statistics H. 117/118, S. 115-139. DOI:10.15609/annaeconstat2009.117-118.115

Abstract

"This paper presents a model of the child care arrangements and labour supply of mothers with young children (under three). We use French data to estimate simultaneously mothers' labour force participation and type of child care chosen. The independent variables include estimated child care costs and mothers' potential incomes obtained by simulating the benefits and taxes associated with different participation choices (working full-time, part-time or out of the labour market). Availability of free child care (from family and relatives) is also taken into account. We show that monetary incentives do play a role. Child care costs have a direct effect on mothers' labour market participation but not on the type of child care chosen. Household disposable income and potential wages explain participation and type of child care whereas the marginal tax rate was found to have a significant effect only on the full-time versus part-time decision." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berghammer, Caroline & Roland Verwiebe (2015): Die Verbreitung des Doppelernährer- und Doppelbetreuermodells in fünf Ländern Europas. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 68, H. 2, S. 116-124. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2015-2-116

Abstract

"Ausgangspunkt unserer Analysen ist das Argument einer Reihe von Studien, dass die Gleichheit der Geschlechter am besten verwirklicht ist, wenn beide Eltern sich in gleichem Ausmaß am Arbeitsmarkt und an der Kinderbetreuung beteiligen. Der Beitrag beschreibt Trends im sogenannten Doppelernährermodell (beide Eltern arbeiten Vollzeit) in Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien, Österreich und Spanien von 1998 bis 2010 und untersucht die Aufteilung der Kinderbetreuungszeit in diesen Paarhaushalten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Blossfeld, Hans-Peter, Jan Skopek, Moris Triventi & Sandra Buchholz (Hrsg.) (2015): Gender, education and employment. An international comparison of school-to-work transitions. (eduLIFE lifelong learning), Cheltenham: Elgar, 394 S.

Abstract

"For much of the twentieth century, women lagged considerably behind men in their educational attainment. However, in recent decades, young women have become an important source of human capital for labor markets in modern societies, as well as potential competitors to the male workforce. This book asks whether or not women have been able to convert their educational success into gains on the labor market.
The expert contributors address the topic on a comparative level with discussions centred on gendered school-to-work transitions and gendered labor market outcomes. Thereafter they analyze the country-specific implications of the gender redress from a wide range of countries including the USA, Russia and Australia." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cascio, Elizabeth U., Steven J. Haider & Helena Skyt Nielsen (2015): The effectiveness of policies that promote labor force participation of women with children. A collection of national studies. In: Labour economics, Jg. 36, H. October, S. 64-71. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2015.08.002

Abstract

"Numerous countries have enacted policies to promote the labor force participation of women around the years of childbearing, and unsurprisingly, many research articles have been devoted to evaluating their effectiveness. Perhaps more surprisingly, however, six such articles were submitted independently over several months to Labour Economics and subsequently made it through the normal review process. These articles are collected in the Special Section that follows. This article provides additional background to facilitate the understanding of the policies that are evaluated in the Special Section articles and, more importantly, a discussion of what can be learned from the articles as a collection. Taken together, the articles are quite informative in demonstrating how the effectiveness of policies can vary across different national contexts and how this variation itself can be usefully examined with the standard theoretical framework." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dieckhoff, Martina, Vanessa Gash & Nadia Steiber (2015): Measuring the effect of institutional change on gender inequality in the labour market. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 39, H. March, S. 59-75. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2014.12.001

Abstract

"This article examines the differential impact of labour market institutions on women and men. It carries out longitudinal analyses using repeat cross-sectional data from the EU Labour Force Survey 1992 - 2007 as well as time series data that measure institutional change over the same period. The results contribute to the literature on gendered employment, adding important insights into the impact of labour market institutions over and above family policies that have been the focus of most prior studies on the topic. We find differential effects of institutional change on male and female outcome. Our findings challenge the neo-classical literature on the topic. While our results suggest that men benefit more clearly than women from increases in employment protection, we do not find support for the neo-classical assertion that strong trade unions decrease female employment. Instead, increasing union strength is shown to have beneficial effects for both men's and women's likelihood of being employed on the standard employment contract. Furthermore, in line with other researchers, we find that rising levels of in kind state support to families improve women's employment opportunities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Duguet, Emmanuel, Loïc Du Parquet, Yannick L'Horty & Pascale Petit (2015): New evidence of ethnic and gender discriminations in the French labor market using experimental data. A ranking extension of responses from correspondence tests. In: Annals of Economics and Statistics H. 117/118, S. 21-39. DOI:10.15609/annaeconstat2009.117-118.21

Abstract

"We extend the standard hiring discrimination measure by including the cases where several candidates are invited to the same interview. The new measure considers the order in which the employer will contact the candidates as opposed to considering only whether or not a job applicant is invited to an interview - a practice common in the previous literature. We propose to apply the first order stochastic dominance (FOSD) criterion to the ranking of the candidates, which appears to be especially relevant for hiring discrimination. We show theoretically that FOSD always implies a positive value for the standard discrimination coefficient used in the literature, and that the converse is false. We apply our analysis to a correspondence test that has been conducted in the Paris region. We sent 8 fictitious candidates with a Master's degree to the same 310 job offers in computing in order to measure gender and origin discrimination. We found that out of 28 possible comparisons there were 25 cases of stochastic dominance that we interpret as strong discrimination against some candidates. Discrimination is especially strong for French women with an African origin." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Duvivier, Chloé & Mathieu Narcy (2015): The motherhood wage penalty and its determinants. A public-private comparison. In: Labour, Jg. 29, H. 4, S. 415-443. DOI:10.1111/labr.12057

Abstract

"We investigate whether public and private sector employees bear a different wage penalty for having children. According to our estimates, the total motherhood wage penalty is much larger in the private than in the public sector. Nevertheless, in both sectors, we find no unexplained penalty once we control for potential determinants of the family pay gap, namely, a reduced labour supply of mothers, child-related career interruptions, less access to management positions, and adjustments in working conditions. Finally, only child-related career interruptions play a different role in explaining the motherhood wage penalty in each sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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George, Roman (2015): Die geschlechterspezifische Strukturierung des Niedriglohnsektors. Eine vergleichende Perspektive auf Frankreich, Großbritannien, Schweden und Deutschland. (Arbeit - Demokratie - Geschlecht 21), Münster: Verl. Westfälisches Dampfboot, 278 S.

Abstract

"Niedriglohnarbeit findet sich besonders oft in feminisierten Segmenten des Arbeitsmarkts. Der Vergleich zwischen Frankreich, Großbritannien, Schweden und Deutschland zeigt allerdings auf, dass sich die Ausmaße und die Strukturen der Geschlechterungleichheiten deutlich unterscheiden. Roman George geht dem in seiner Studie nach und arbeitet die Länderunterschiede hinsichtlich der Arbeitsmarktinstitutionen, des Ausbildungssystems und des Sozialstaats heraus. So liefert er nicht zuletzt auch Ansatzpunkte für eine gleichstellungsorientierte Politik." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Givord, Pauline & Claire Marbot (2015): Does the cost of child care affect female labor market participation? An evaluation of a French reform of childcare subsidies. In: Labour economics, Jg. 36, H. October, S. 99-111. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2015.07.003

Abstract

"This study evaluates the short-run impact of an increase in childcare subsidies on the use of paid childcare and the participation rate of mothers of preschool children. We use a natural experiment provided by the PAJE, a French reform in family allowances introduced in 2004. This reform temporarily creates discrepancies in the childcare subsidies received by families according to the year of birth of the children. We apply a difference-in-differences strategy on exhaustive French fiscal data that provide information on gross income as well as on the use of paid childcare services between 2005 and 2008. We use the fact that the new policy results in a significant increase in the use of paid childcare services. The effect on the labor force participation of mothers is significant but of a smaller magnitude. The highest impact is observed for mothers of large families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gobillon, Laurent, Dominique Meurs & Sebastien Roux (2015): Estimating gender differences in access to jobs. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 317-363. DOI:10.1086/678495

Abstract

"This paper proposes a new measure of gender differences in access to jobs based on a job assignment model. This measure is the probability ratio of getting a job for a female and a male at each rank of the wage ladder. We derive a nonparametric estimator of this access measure and estimate it for French full-time executives aged 40 - 45 in the private sector. Our results show that the gender difference in the probability of getting a job increases along the wage ladder from9% to 50%. Females thus have a significantly lower access to high-paid jobs than to low-paid jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Guetto, Raffaele, Ruud Luijkx & Stefani Scherer (2015): Religiosity, gender attitudes and women's labour market participation and fertility decisions in Europe. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 58, H. 2, S. 155-172. DOI:10.1177/0001699315573335

Abstract

"The Second Demographic Transition (SDT) theory underlines the importance of changing values and attitudes to explain the trend toward low fertility and raising female labour market participation. We contribute to this debate comparing religiosity and gender attitudes over several European countries using three waves of the European Values Study (1990, 1999 and 2008). By dealing with the issues of measurement invariance and endogeneity between values and behaviour, our results support some critiques of the SDT theory. The pace of the process of sociocultural change has not been the same across European countries and the forerunners of the SDT, that is, the most secularized and gender-egalitarian societies, now have the highest female labour market participation rates and the highest fertility. We provide evidence for a 'macro - micro paradox' regarding the role of values on family behaviours. Religiosity is positively correlated with fertility and housewifery, while gender attitudes are only correlated with women's labour market decisions. These correlations are stronger in more traditional countries, even if aggregate fertility is lower. We stress the necessity to integrate cultural and structural explanations, suggesting the lack of family policies and the rigidity of the family formation process as possible mechanisms to unravel this paradox." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))