Alumni Changing the World

Alena Bičáková: “Gender Unemployment Gaps across EU: Blame the Family (Culture)”

Room 2, 2nd floor 

Abstract:

Using EU LFS data, we analyze gender differences in unemployment in twenty one countries of EU. We show that much of the cross-country variation in gender unemployment gaps can be attributed to international differences in female labor force participation. The relationship is, however, subtler than commonly discussed. While gender labor force participation gaps open in almost all countries only when women leave the labor force after the childbirth, the duration of this leave and whether it is temporary or permanent are crucial determinants of the cross-country differences in gender unemployment gaps.