Working Paper: NBER ID: w23743
Authors: Stefania Albanesi; Ayegül Ahin
Abstract: The gender unemployment gap, the difference between female and male unemployment rates, was positive until the early 1980s. This gap disappeared after 1983, except during recessions, when men’s unemployment rate has always exceeded women’s. Using a calibrated three-state search model, we show that the convergence in female and male labor force attachment accounts for most of the closing of the gender unemployment gap. Evidence from nineteen OECD countries is consistent with this finding. We show that gender differences in industry composition are the main source of the cyclicality of the unemployment gap.
Keywords: gender unemployment gap; labor force attachment; cyclical unemployment; OECD countries
JEL Codes: E24; J16; J21
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Convergence in female and male labor force attachment (J21) | decrease in gender unemployment gap (J79) |
| Increase in female labor force participation (J21) | convergence in female and male labor force attachment (J21) |
| Decline in male labor force participation (J49) | convergence in female and male labor force attachment (J21) |
| Industry composition (L69) | cyclicality of unemployment gap (J64) |
| Gender differences in industry distribution (J21) | cyclical differences in job loss rates during recessions (J64) |
| Cyclical dynamics of male unemployment (J64) | gender unemployment gap during economic downturns (J64) |