Gender gaps and the structure of local labour markets

Barbara Petrongolo and Maddalena Ronchi
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Maddalena Ronchi: Queen Mary University of London

No 901, Working Papers from Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance

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, which is also closely related to the polarisation 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 labour 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.

Keywords: gender gaps; industry structure; local labour markets. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J21 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-03-17
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (75)

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https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sef/media/econ/research/wor ... /WP901Petrongolo.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Gender gaps and the structure of local labor markets (2020)
Working Paper: Gender gaps and the structure of local labor markets (2020)
Working Paper: Gender Gaps and the Structure of Local Labor Markets (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:qmw:qmwecw:901

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