The Gender Division of Work Across Countries

21.10.2024 14:15 – 15:30

INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS AND ECONOMETRICS SEMINAR

Jointly with: Cheryl Doss, Douglas Gollin, Markus Poschke

Abstract:

Across countries, women and men allocate time differently between market work, domestic services, and care work. In this paper, we document the gender division of work, drawing on two new harmonized data sets that provide high-quality observations on time use and wages for many countries, spanning the global income distribution. We show that the gender division of work varies widely across countries – even when comparing countries at similar income levels. To understand this variation, we formulate a macroeconomic model of household time use in which country-level allocations are shaped by wages and a set of “wedges” that reflect productivity differentials, preferences, and disabilities. Taking the model to country-level observations, we find that the wedge related to the disutility of market work for women plays a crucial role in generating the observed dispersion of outcomes, particularly for middle-income countries. Variation in the division of non-market work is principally shaped by a wedge indicating greater disutility for men, which is especially large in some low- and middle-income countries.

Lieu

Bâtiment: Uni Mail

Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40
1205 Geneva
Room M 3250, 3rd floor

entrée libre