German stagnation versus Swedish progression: gender wage gaps in comparison, 1960-2006

Svenja G�rtner
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Svenja Gärtner

Scandinavian Economic History Review, 2014, vol. 62, issue 2, 137-162

Abstract: This article provides a comparative analysis of the development of the gender wage gap in West Germany and Sweden during the period 1960-2006. Despite the economic similarities including broad social safety nets, the gap has developed differently since 1960. This analysis accounts for micro- and macroeconomic factors and politics and concludes that norms and traditions penetrate institutional settings and ensnare Germany in a cultural trap with regard to gender equality. While Sweden has moved to a two-earner model, German society expects mothers to stay at home. The micro analysis shows that family concerns (e.g. marriage and motherhood) decrease female income in Germany to a far greater extent than do such factors in Sweden, which can be explained in part by deeply held social attitudes.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1080/03585522.2013.836986

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