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Denderski, Piotr & Tim Obermeier (2026): Household taxation, nonlinear occupations, and gender gaps. (CEP discussion paper / Centre for Economic Performance 2140), London, 23 S., App.

Abstract

"An enduring source of gender inequality is that some high-paying ("nonlinear") occupations penalize balancing work and household time commitments, as emphasized by Goldin (2014). We ask how household taxation interacts with these occupational differences to shape gender gaps in hours, wages, and occupational choice, and whether these differences materially affect the impact of tax reforms. We address these questions in a structural Roy model of household labor supply with occupation-specific earnings-hours nonlinearities and progressive taxation, calibrated to US data. We find that a balanced-budget switch to separately filed progressive taxes significantly reduces the gender gaps in hours and occupational choice, while the wage gap declines more modestly. These improvements arise because the reform lowers marginal tax rates for secondary earners and raises them for primary earners. By contrast, proportional taxation yields much smaller reductions in gender gaps. In both reforms, the standard labor-supply channel accounts for roughly two-thirds of the overall taxable- income response, while the convex earnings-hours relationship amplifies these effects and explains most of the remainder. Occupational switching contributes little because those who do switch are negatively selected." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Echeverría, Lucía, J. Ignacio Giménez-Nadal & José Alberto Molina (2026): Commuting in dual-earner households: international gender differences with time use surveys. In: Review of Economics of the Household, Jg. 24, H. 1, S. 303-325. DOI:10.1007/s11150-024-09726-5

Abstract

"Prior studies show men commute longer than women, often due to household responsibilities. However, research on commuting differences within couples is limited. This study examines gender gaps in commuting times and mode choices among dual-earner couples in Spain, Italy, South Korea, and the UK. Using Ordinary Least Squares regressions, we find that the presence of children significantly increases gender gaps in commuting times in Italy and the UK, supporting the household responsibility hypothesis. Conversely, no significant link between children and gender gaps is observed in Spain and Korea. Additionally, children’s presence affects commuting mode choices in Italy across all modes, and in Korea for public transit only, with Italian women showing the most changes in commuting mode when children are present." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Emery, Tom (2026): Inequalities in early childcare strategies: Evidence from Dutch administrative data. In: Advances in life course research, Jg. 67. DOI:10.1016/j.alcr.2026.100727

Abstract

"This study examines whether the well-documented socioeconomic gradient in formal childcare use is reflected in the timing, sequencing, and stability of childcare and employment strategies following the critical life course transition to parenthood. While higher-SES parents are consistently more likely to use formal childcare, the reasons for this disparity remain poorly understood principally due to data limitations and the complexity of household dynamics. Drawing on linked Dutch administrative data (2010–2019), we use multichannel sequence analysis to identify distinct “childcare strategies” across the first four years of children’s lives, capturing monthly trajectories of formal childcare use and parental employment. A subsequent multinomial regression models the association between these strategies and socioeconomic status. The results reveal wide variation in the stability, intensity, and timing of formal childcare use, closely intertwined with maternal employment patterns. Children from lower-SES households are more likely to experience complex, fragmented, and fragile childcare trajectories—characterized by delayed entry, irregular usage, and lower alignment with stable employment—confirming and extending findings from prior qualitative research. By quantifying these patterns across a full population cohort, the study demonstrates how childcare complexity itself reflects and reinforces broader social inequalities. We conclude that childcare policies must move beyond affordability to address accessibility, stability, and administrative complexity—particularly for parents with low incomes, precarious jobs, or self-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))

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Filser, Andreas, Pascal Achard, Corinna Frodermann, Dana Müller & Sander Wagner (2026): Stratification of post-birth labour supply in a high- and low- maternal employment regime. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 102, 2026-01-30. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2026.101133

Abstract

"This paper compares the magnitude and stratification of motherhood employment penalties in France and Germany, two countries with contrasting institutional orientations towards maternal employment. While prior research has documented cross-national variation in the size of motherhood penalties, less is known about how macro-level contexts shape their stratification across socioeconomic groups. Using harmonized administrative employment data on 18,948 French and 72,632 German mothers, who were employed prior to first birth between 1997 and 2014, we estimate labour market participation trajectories for five years following childbirth. Across both countries, women with higher pre-birth income, higher education, and employment in higher-wage firms experience substantially smaller reductions in labour supply, with income emerging as the strongest stratifying dimension. Motherhood penalties are markedly smaller in France, amounting to less than one-third of the reduction observed in Germany. Yet penalties in France are more strongly stratified: mothers in the lowest income quintile experience participation losses 3.14 times larger than mothers in the highest quintile, compared to a ratio of 1.17 in Germany. Within Germany, East German mothers face smaller but more stratified penalties than West German mothers. Finally, we test whether the macro-level pattern of larger penalties associated with weaker stratification also generalizes to 65 NUTS-2 regions. We find no systematic association between the size and stratification of motherhood penalties at the regional level. The findings suggest that institutional contexts supporting high maternal employment reduce overall penalties but pose particular challenges for mothers from lower socio-economic backgrounds who reintegrate less rapidly into the labour market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))

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Fortes de Lena, Fernanda & Diederik Boertien (2026): A Marriage Premium for Whom? Sexual Identity, Relationship Status and Earnings. In: Journal of Marriage and Family, Jg. 88, H. 1, S. 81-99. DOI:10.1111/jomf.70005

Abstract

"Objective: This article aims to understand how relationship status is associated with earnings among LGB people. Background: Previous research has found that marriage is related to higher earnings for men and lower earnings for women, but has not often considered whether this holds across different sexual identities. Method: We use the longitudinal Understanding Society data from the UK to show how the earnings of LGB individuals are associated with relationship status (single, non-residential partner, residential partner, married). Results: Cohabiting or married men generally earn more compared to single men, regardless of sexual identity. However, gay men's earnings only increase after marrying, whereas heterosexual and bisexual men's earnings increase after entering any co-residential relationship. This suggests that gay men might receive more social support or employer approval after entering a normative relationship form. Heterosexual women start earning less after marriage, whereas the impact of changes in relationship status on earnings is relatively small and non-significant for bisexual and lesbian women. These results are largely explained by paid and unpaid work hours, suggesting that the division of labor within relationships lowers earnings among heterosexual women but not among LGB women. Conclusion: LGB women's earnings depend relatively little on changes in relationship status. At the same time, gay men only receive premiums related to having a partner once they marry." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Frodermann, Corinna, Eileen Peters, Marie-Fleur Philipp & Claudia Wenzig (2026): Arbeits- und Betreuungsarrangements von Familien mit kleinen Kindern: Gesellschaftliche Einstellung zu Erwerbstätigkeit von Müttern und externer Kinderbetreuung. (IAB-Kurzbericht 02/2026), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2602

Abstract

"Die Förderung der Erwerbsintegration von Frauen und speziell von Müttern ist ein zentrales Thema der Arbeitsmarkt- und Gleichstellungspolitik. Entscheidend für eine Erwerbsaufnahme von Müttern sind dabei nicht nur die Bedingungen am Arbeitsmarkt und die vorhandenen Möglichkeiten der externen Kinderbetreuung, sondern auch die Einstellung zu Familie und Beruf. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersuchen die Autorinnen Normvorstellungen in der Bevölkerung zur außerhäuslichen Betreuung von Kindern und zur Erwerbstätigkeit von Müttern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Fuchs, Michaela, Anja Rossen, Antje Weyh & Gabriele Wydra-Somaggio (2026): Der Gender-Pay-Gap wird kleiner – jedoch nicht in allen Regionen. In: IAB-Forum H. 23.02.2026. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20260223.01

Abstract

"Zwar wird der Gender-Pay-Gap, also die Entgeltlücke zwischen Frauen und Männern, in Deutschland seit einigen Jahren langsam kleiner. Frauen verdienen im Schnitt aber nach wie vor deutlich weniger als Männer. Der Rückgang zeigt sich zudem nicht in allen Regionen Deutschlands: In 15 von 400 Kreisen ist der Gender-Pay-Gap zwischen 2019 und 2024 sogar gestiegen. Diese gegensätzlichen Entwicklungen hängen mit unterschiedlichen Veränderungen in der regionalen Lohn-, Betriebsgrößen- und Berufsstruktur zusammen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Fuchs, Michaela, Anja Rossen, Antje Weyh & Gabriele Wydra-Somaggio (2026): Regionale Unterschiede im Gender-Pay-Gap in Deutschland 2024. (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung. Aktuelle Daten und Indikatoren), Nürnberg, 16 S.

Abstract

"Die vorliegenden Auswertungen beinhalten Angaben zum Tagesentgelt sozialversicherungspflichtig vollzeitbeschäftigter Frauen und Männer sowie zum unbereinigten und bereinigten Gender-Pay-Gap in den Bundesländern und Kreisen Deutschlands für das Jahr 2024. Nähere Erläuterungen zu den Einflussfaktoren auf die unterschiedlichen regionalen Gender-Pay-Gaps sowie zur zeitlichen Entwicklung finden sich im IAB-Forumsbeitrag von Fuchs, Rossen, Weyh und Wydra-Somaggio (2026)." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Gibbs, Chloe, Esra Kose & Maria Rosales-Rueda (2026): More Hours, More Work: Head Start Expansions Boost Maternal Employment. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 34831), Cambridge, Mass, 35 S.

Abstract

"Women's employment remains highly sensitive to childcare constraints, making childcare availability a critical lever for supporting mothers' labor force attachment. We study the effects of expanded full-day programming in Head Start, using the 2016 federal funding initiative that targeted grantees with low full-day enrollment. Linking administrative program data, geo-coded center locations, and household data on employment, we estimate a difference-in-differences design by comparing mothers of young children in treated and untreated areas. The policy increased full-day enrollment by 19 percent and raised single mothers' employment (1.9%), hours (2.5%), and earnings (6.5%). Results show that extending program duration meaningfully improves maternal labor market outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

González, Libertad, Sergi Jiménez-Martín, Natalia Nollenberger & Judit Vall Castello (2026): The Effect of Access to Legal Abortion on Fertility, Marriage, and Long-term Outcomes for Women. In: The Economic Journal, Jg. 136, H. 674, S. 440-467. DOI:10.1093/ej/ueaf054

Abstract

"We evaluate the short- and long-term effects for women of access to legal, subsidized abortion. We find evidence that the legalization of abortion in Spain in 1985 led to an immediate decrease in births, more pronounced for younger women in provinces with a higher supply of abortion services. Affected women were more likely to graduate from high school, less likely to marry young, less likely to divorce in the long-term, and reported higher life satisfaction as adults. We find at most small reductions in completed fertility, while we do not find meaningful effects on labour market outcomes in the long run." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Gupta, Renu, Gill Kirton & Suki Sian (2026): Temporal Signification of Careers and Organizational Return‐to‐Work Barriers After an Extended Career Break: Insights From Professional Women in the United Kingdom. In: Gender, work & organization, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 412-428. DOI:10.1111/gwao.70050

Abstract

"In this article, we explore the phenomenon of professional women's childcare-related extended career breaks taken immediately or soon after maternity leave and organizational barriers experienced in their subsequent return to work. Applying a temporal lens to Barley's career model, we analyze how organizational objective clock-time and women's experience of subjective time in relation to extended career breaks mediate their understanding of organizational barriers in returning to work. Demonstrating the interlinkages between structure and agency, we present “continuity” and “presence” as two temporal career scripts that create specific return-to-work barriers for women professionals as they fall out of sync with time during the extended break and face temporal inequities upon return to the workplace. We establish that in the context of women professionals returning from childcare-related extended career breaks, structural elements outweigh individual agency. We conclude this article with a call for organizational support to overcome return barriers arising out of temporal career scripts. We also suggest that future research could usefully explore organizational policies and practices aimed at reintegrating and retaining professional women returning to work from extended childcare-related career breaks." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Herrmann, Fiona, Lavinia Kinne & Katharina Wrohlich (2026): Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen ab 45. Empirische Evidenz zum Einfluss finanzieller Anreize. Gütersloh, 88 S. DOI:10.11586/2026036

Abstract

"Vor dem Hintergrund des demografischen Wandels und des damit einhergehenden zunehmenden Drucks auf die sozialen Sicherungssysteme werden aktuell die Erwerbsbeteiligung und die wöchentliche Erwerbsarbeitszeit von Frauen diskutiert. Die Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen in Deutschland ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten stark gestiegen und liegt mit über 75 Prozent im internationalen Vergleich sehr hoch. Allerdings ist auch der Anteil der Teilzeitbeschäftigten unter den Frauen sehr hoch. Dies ist nicht nur bei Frauen mit jungen Kindern, sondern auch in der Altersgruppe ab 45 Jahren zu beobachten. Ein großer Teil der beschäftigten Frauen ist von der Phase der Familiengründung bis zum Ende ihrer Erwerbstätigkeit in Teilzeit erwerbstätig. Dadurch entsteht eine große geschlechtsspezifische Lücke in der Erwerbsarbeit, die auch negative Auswirkungen auf die Alterseinkünfte von Frauen hat. In dieser Studie werden die Gründe für den hohen Teilzeitanteil von Frauen in der Altersgruppe ab 45 Jahren untersucht. Dazu wurde eine Befragung der Zielgruppe (Frauen im Alter von 45 bis 66 Jahren) mit einem Vignetten-Experiment kombiniert. Dies ermöglicht es, nicht nur die Gründe für die aktuellen Erwerbsentscheidungen der Befragten zu ermitteln, sondern auch ihre Einstellungen zur Erwerbstätigkeit in verschiedenen Szenarien zu erheben. Aus diesen Erkenntnissen lassen sich unter anderem die Wirkungen finanzieller Anreize auf die Erwerbsentscheidungen von Frauen ableiten. Die Ergebnisse der Befragung zu den Gründen der aktuellen Erwerbsentscheidungen der Befragten zeigen, dass die meisten der nicht erwerbstätigen 45–66-jährigen Frauen aus gesundheitlichen Gründen ihren Beruf aufgegeben haben. Fast ein Drittel der Befragten gab auch an, dass es sich für sie finanziell nicht lohnen würde, eine Erwerbstätigkeit aufzunehmen. Die in Teilzeit beschäftigten Frauen gaben als Gründe für diese Wahl mehrheitlich an, Zeit für die Familie zu benötigen bzw. eine Vollzeittätigkeit als zu hohe körperliche Belastung zu empfinden. In dieser Gruppe gab sogar fast die Hälfte der Befragten an, dass sich eine Ausweitung der Erwerbstätigkeit finanziell zu wenig lohnen würde. Im Vignetten-Teil der Studie wurden den Befragten hypothetische Szenarien vorgelegt, die sich nach der Höhe des Stundenlohnes, der Art der Aufteilung der Sorgearbeit im Haushalt, den Arbeitsbedingungen und der -flexibilität sowie der Art der Besteuerung (gemeinsame versus getrennte Veranlagung) unterschieden. Die Befragten wurden gebeten, die aus ihrer Sicht optimale Arbeitszeit für die Frauen in diesen hypothetischen Situationen anzugeben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass veränderte finanzielle Anreize durch ein alternatives Steuerszenario die Erwerbsbeteiligung und die durchschnittlichen Erwerbsarbeitsstunden signifikant erhöhen würden. Insbesondere würde der Anteil der Frauen in Minijobs dadurch zugunsten einer höheren Vollzeit- und Teilzeit-Erwerbstätigkeit sinken. Auch die Aufteilung der Sorgearbeit und die Arbeitsbedingungen beeinflussen die gewählte Arbeitszeit. Unabhängig von der Aufteilung der Sorgearbeit und der Art der Arbeitsbedingungen zeigt die Vignetten-Befragung jedoch, dass finanzielle Anreize in allen Fällen eine wichtige Rolle spielen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Bertelsmann Stiftung)

Zitatform

Hieda, Takeshi (2026): Beyond left and right: Socio-cultural determinants of parenting leave policy in advanced democracies. In: Journal of European Social Policy. DOI:10.1177/09589287251410874

Abstract

"This study examines the political determinants of parenting leave policy across 21 OECD countries from 1970 to 2021. While prior research has linked parenting leave expansion to social democratic and Christian democratic governments, this paper argues that party positions in the two-dimensional ideological space—socio-economic left–right and socio-cultural libertarian–authoritarian—better explain policy preferences. Using mixed-effects ordered logit models, the analysis reveals that socio-cultural rather than socio-economic positions drive parenting leave expansion. Governments with libertarian socio-cultural orientations are more likely to extend paid maternity, paternity, and parental leave for both mothers and fathers. These findings remain robust even when controlling for party family, indicating that the influence of Christian democratic and social democratic governments stems from their shifts towards libertarian positions. The study provides new insights into the partisan determinants of parenting leave policy, highlighting the role of socio-cultural competition in shaping welfare state transformations in post-industrial democracies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Johnson, Katherine M. & Christina McCarthy (2026): The leave gap: actual versus optimal maternity leave in a sample of US breastfeeding women. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 29, H. 1, S. 43-50. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2024.2339318

Abstract

"Access to quality parental leave is a prominent US work-family issue and crucial for supporting maternal and child health, including breastfeeding outcomes. This is even more salient given the recently updated US public health recommendation to breastfeed for up to two-plus years. Yet little prior research on work-breastfeeding conflict, has addressed breastfeeding women's perceptions of maternity leave. How much leave do breastfeeding women want relative to what they receive? What shapes their optimal leave perceptions? Using in-depth interview data, we first examined the leave gap between optimal and actual leave duration. Most interviewees reported a leave deficit, averaging 20 weeks. We then examined perceptions of optimal leave - identifying four themes: (1) making comparisons, (2) role transition and adjustment, (3) the developing child, and (4) return-readiness. Overall, we argue that it is important to consider ideal leave and the leave gap, which may produce further strain for breastfeeding employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kelly, Elaine & Isabel Stockton (2026): A senior doctor like me: Gender match and occupational choice. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 99. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2026.102863

Abstract

"Men and women consistently sort into different occupations and fields within occupations, contributing to persistent gender inequality in economic outcomes. In this paper, we examine how social factors influence this sorting, specifically the gender composition of supervisors early in one’s career. Our setting is the English National Health Service, where medical specialties vary widely in their gender composition. We exploit features of the doctor training pathway that generate quasi-random variation in junior doctors’ exposure to senior women. We find greater exposure to senior women specialists increases the probability of junior women subsequently training in their specialty, but only in very male-dominated training placements. A junior woman exposed to a 10 percentage point higher share of senior women specialists during a placement is 1.7 percentage points or 24% more likely to pursue training in the placement specialty, if the share of senior women doctors is below one in five. This effect corresponds to two-fifths of the gender gap in training choices, and appears even in specialties that are not particularly male-dominated as a whole. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that access to and relatability of potential role models matter, and that gender match effects interact with preferences for geographic and schedule flexibility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, ©2026 Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))

Zitatform

Khaliliaraghi, Negar, Petter Lundborg & Johan Vikström (2026): Gender Gaps Under Comparable Tasks: Evidence from Quasi-Random Assignment. (CESifo working paper 12413), München, 57 S.

Abstract

"Gender gaps in earnings persist even among high-skilled workers, partly because men and women often perform different tasks within and across jobs. We study a rare setting in which high-skilled men and women perform the same tasks under comparable conditions, allowing us to assess gender differences in productivity and pay without confounding from task or client allocation. Using administrative data from the Swedish Public Employment Service between 2003 and 2014, we exploit a rotation scheme that quasi-randomly assigns job seekers to employment caseworkers. This ensures male and female caseworkers are matched with comparable clients. We find productivity differences are small: job seekers assigned to female and male caseworkers exit unemployment at similar rates, with no evidence of job-quality differences. Consistent with this, hourly wages—conditional on productivity—are nearly identical across genders. Despite this, female caseworkers earn about 8 percent less per year, due to differences in contracted and actual hours worked. We also find suggestive evidence that male caseworkers are more likely to be promoted than equally productive female colleagues. Overall, when tasks are standardized and performance is measured objectively, gender differences in productivity and hourly pay are minimal, while gaps in annual earnings and career progression persist." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lancker, Wim Van, Alzbeta Bartova, Max Thaning & Rense Nieuwenhuis (2026): Household classification, family diversity and poverty risks in Europe: Addressing a North-Western bias. In: Journal of European Social Policy, S. 1-18. DOI:10.1177/09589287261430496

Abstract

"European statistics and policies commonly rely on household typologies that classify households based on the number of adults and children living together. However, these typologies overlook family relationships and classify any non-standard arrangement into a broad residual category of ‘other’. This approach fails to capture increasing family diversity across Europe and introduces a persistent North-Western bias into data and policymaking. As a result, families that do not fit conventional models may be misclassified or entirely overlooked in poverty assessments and policy targeting. This is problematic since family structures vary substantially across European countries and became more diverse over time. This article introduces the Families in Households Typology (FHT), a classification system that uses relationship identifiers in EU-SILC microdata to reconstruct family structures within households. The FHT reduces the share of individuals placed in the residual ‘other’ category from over 20% to around 5%, particularly improving identification in Southern, Central, and Eastern European countries where multigenerational living arrangements are common. The results also show that nearly half of all single parents in Europe live with another adult and are not captured as single parents under conventional typologies. This has important implications for policy design: many single-parent households may be excluded from targeted support due to misclassification. Reclassifying households using the FHT also reshapes our understanding of living standards. The poverty risk of single parents is often overestimated when the Eurostat household typology is adopted. When single parents co-residing with kin or unrelated adults are correctly identified, their average poverty risk tends to be much lower. These findings highlight the importance of moving away from basic household counts towards relational classifications that more accurately reflect the diversity of family life across Europe, rather than using typologies that reflect the dominant family reality in Northern and Western Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lavest, Chloé, Lucas G. Drouhot, Meta van der Linden & Frank van Tubergen (2026): Beyond the ‘integration paradox’: educational attainment similarly predicts gender discrimination among women and ethnic discrimination among minorities. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 42, H. 1, S. 103-117. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcaf039

Abstract

"Highly educated individuals of immigrant origins perceive more ethnic discrimination than their less educated counterparts—a now well-established finding referred to as the ‘integration paradox’. In this paper, we study whether this purported paradox captures general educational effects on the lived experiences of historically disadvantaged populations going beyond the scope of integration among immigrants. We compare the educational gradient of perceptions of ethno-racial discrimination among ethnic minorities with the educational gradient of perceptions of gender discrimination among women. We also study intersectional dimensions in the experiences of minority women and those reporting multiple grounds for discrimination. Analyses based on representative data from two cross-sectional surveys in France - Trajectoires et Origines 1 and 2—involving over 35,000 respondents show that highly educated individuals, including both ethnic minorities and women, are more likely to report discrimination. Individuals who report discrimination on one ground are also more likely to report it on another ground. Our results suggest that the so-called integration paradox reflects more general educational effects on subjective experiences of exclusion that are not unique to immigrant-origin populations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lochner, Benjamin & Christian Merkl (2026): Gender-Specific Application Behaviour, Matching, and the Residual Gender Earnings Gap. In: The Economic Journal, Jg. 136, H. 673, S. 97-124., 2025-05-08. DOI:10.1093/ej/ueaf037

Abstract

"This paper examines how gender-specific application behavior, firms’ hiring practices, and flexibility demands relate to the gender earnings gap, using linked data from the German Job Vacancy Survey and administrative records. Women are less likely than men to apply to high-wage firms with high flexibility requirements, although their hiring chances are similar when they do. We show that compensating differentials for firms’ flexibility demands help explain the residual gender earnings gap. Among women, mothers experience the largest earnings penalties relative to men in jobs with high flexibility requirements." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Maralani, Vida, Camille Portier & Berkay Özcan (2026): Early Childhood Investments and Women’s Work Outcomes across the Life Course. In: Sociological Science, Jg. 13, S. 214-241. DOI:10.15195/v13.a9