Rosie the Researcher

Moritz Lubczyk and Petra Moser

No 22147, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: What are the productivity effects of hiring underrepresented talent? We investigate this question in the context of World War II, when a shortage of men forced US firms to hire female scientists. Using new data on the scientific personnel of US firms, we exploit firm-level variation in exposure to enlistment as an instrument for female hires. We find that firms exposed to enlistment hired 1.3 times more female scientists during the war. Firms that hired at least 1 female scientist during the war produced 1 additional publication per 12 scientists on average after 1939 — but no additional patents. Investigating mechanisms, we find that female hires were positively selected and created positive spillovers for male incumbents. Female hires contributed more novel research topics than men, but men benefited most from working with women who were a better fit for their research. Data on job titles suggest a misallocation of female talent within firms, impeding productivity gains.

Keywords: Gender; Innovation; Talent allocation; World war ii; Firm productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 J16 J24 N32 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-11
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