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Gender Disparities

Paper Session

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM

Hyatt Regency Chicago, Regency C
Hosted By: American Economic Association
  • Chair: Laura Argys, University of Colorado

Measuring the Intermediate-Term Effects of New Jersey’s 2009 Paid Family Leave Act: Evidence from U.S. Tax Data

Tanya Byker
,
Middlebury College
Martha J. Bailey
,
University of Michigan
Elena Patel
,
U.S. Department of the Treasury

Abstract

Family leave policies are widely championed as a means to facilitate work-life balance, increase parents’ attachment to the labor force and employers, and ultimately help close the gender gap in wage earnings. On the other hand, models of statistical discrimination imply that family leave policies could disproportionately increase the cost of hiring and promoting women, because they are significantly more likely to take advantage of these policies than their male counterparts. We examine the long-term effects of New Jersey’s Paid Leave policy on women’s work and wages using administrative tax data. We compare new mothers who gave birth one month before the policy took effect to those who gave birth just after it was implemented. We find that New Jersey’s paid leave policy increased women’s paid work after two years by around 5 percent and wage earnings after one year by around 10 percent. These short-term gains were, however, temporary. Five years after New Jersey’s paid leave was implemented, the only appreciable effect on outcomes considered was a 10 percent difference in the likelihood of having a subsequent birth. JEL Codes: J08, J16, J71.

Women’s Inheritance Rights, Household Allocation and Gender Bias

Shreyasee Das
,
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Nayana Bose
,
Washington and Lee University

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of women's empowerment through improved land inheritance rights in India on their own education as well as the intergenerational effect of this reform. Using the Indian Human Development Survey data and a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act is associated with a significant increase of 0.40 years in women's education, especially for those from landed households. Comparing educational outcomes of children whose mothers were affected by the policy change to the control group, we find a significant decrease in boys' education, but no impact on girls' education. We attribute this decrease to treated mothers who are more educated and are better able to assess the higher opportunity cost of education for boys in rural households than less educated control group mothers.

Opting Out and the Division of Marital Assets

Jennifer Bennett Shinall
,
Vanderbilt University
Joni Hersch
,
Vanderbilt University

Abstract

Upon divorce, marital assets in most states are divided equitably, but not necessarily equally. To examine whether decisionmakers value economic considerations, such as opportunity cost, specialization, and bargaining power, we asked subjects to divide marital assets equitably between a breadwinning husband and non-breadwinning wife. Subjects award less than 50 percent of assets to the wife, regardless of her education or the level of marital assets. Men award lower shares, but unlike women, award a larger share to a more educated wife. Equitable division can lead to inequitable outcomes for wives who opt out of the labor force.
JEL Codes: J12, K36, D13.

Shopping While Female: Who Pays Higher Prices and Why?

Anne Fitzpatrick
,
University of Massachusetts-Boston

Abstract

Although the majority of goods in developing countries are bargained over, there is little empirical evidence on what types of customers pay higher prices or the estimated price differential. Using data from an audit study conducted in the Ugandan antimalarial drug market, I test whether male and female shoppers at the same outlet pay different prices for the same good. I find that vendors initially offer women prices that are $0.16 (6%) higher. However, women are 18.9 percentage points more likely to successfully bargain for a discount. Therefore, on net, women pay the same prices on average as men. In order to determine the causes, I compare results by gender with results by ethnic group. Results are consistent with a model of statistical as opposed to taste-based discrimination. JEL Codes: D22, J16, O10.
Discussant(s)
Maya Rossin-Slater
,
University of California-Santa Barbara
Aloysius Siow
,
University of Toronto
Terra McKinnish
,
University of Colorado-Boulder
Lise Vesterlund
,
University of Pittsburgh
JEL Classifications
  • J1 - Demographic Economics
  • J7 - Labor Discrimination