The Gender Unemployment Gap

Stefania Albanesi and Aysegul Sahin

No 9448, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: The unemployment gender gap, defined as the difference between female and male unemployment rates, was positive until 1980. This gap virtually disappeared after 1980, except during recessions when men's unemployment rate always exceeds women's. We study the evolution of these gender differences in unemployment from a long-run perspective and over the business cycle. Using a calibrated three-state search model of the labor market, we show that the rise in female labor force attachment and the decline in male attachment can mostly account for the closing of the gender unemployment gap. Evidence from nineteen OECD countries also supports the notion that convergence in attachment is associated with a decline in the gender unemployment gap. At the cyclical frequency, we find that gender differences in industry composition are important in recessions, especially the most recent, but they do not explain gender differences in employment growth during recoveries.

Keywords: Gender differences in unemployment; Labor force participation; Labor market flows (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-lab, nep-ltv and nep-mac
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Gender Unemployment Gap (2018)
Working Paper: The Gender Unemployment Gap (2017)
Working Paper: The gender unemployment gap (2013)
Working Paper: The Gender Unemployment Gap (2013)
Working Paper: The Gender Unemployment Gap (2011)
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