Citation

Discussion Paper Details

Please find the details for DP9448 in an easy to copy and paste format below:

Full Details   |   Bibliographic Reference

Full Details

Title: The Gender Unemployment Gap

Author(s): Stefania Albanesi and Aysegul Sahin

Publication Date: April 2013

Keyword(s): gender differences in unemployment, labor force participation and labor market flows

Programme Area(s): International Macroeconomics

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.

For full details and related downloads, please visit: https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=9448

Bibliographic Reference

Albanesi, S and Sahin, A. 2013. 'The Gender Unemployment Gap'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=9448