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Mommy Tracks and Public Policy: On Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Gender Gaps in Promotion

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Author Info
Lommerud, Kjell Erik
Vagstad, Steinar

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Abstract

Consider a model with two types of jobs. The profitability of promoting a worker to a fast-track job depends not only on his or her observable talent, but also on incontractible effort. We investigate whether self-fulfilling expectations may lead to women meeting tougher promotion standards than men. If employers expect women to do more household work than men and by that exert less effort in the paid job, the more talented she must be to make promotion profitable. Moreover, specialization in the family will then make women do most of the household work. Such self-fulfilling prophecies can be broken: Both affirmative action and family policy can make women spend more effort in the market, which can lead the economy to a non-discriminatory equilibrium. However, we find that it is unlikely that temporary policy can move the economy to a symmetric equilibrium; policy must be made permanent. Anti-discrimination policy need not enhance efficiency, and from a distribution viewpoint this is a policy with both winners and losers.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 2378.

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Date of creation: Feb 2000
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:2378

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Related research
Keywords: Gender Discrimination; Promotion; Self-Fulfilling Prophecies;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Coate, Stephen & Loury, Glenn C, 1993. "Will Affirmative-Action Policies Eliminate Negative Stereotypes?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(5), pages 1220-40, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Kai Konrad & Kjell Lommerud, 1992. "Non Cooperative Families," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich.
  3. Lundberg, Shelly & Pollak, Robert A, 1993. "Separate Spheres Bargaining and the Marriage Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(6), pages 988-1010, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Phelps, Edmund S, 1972. "The Statistical Theory of Racism and Sexism," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(4), pages 659-61, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Konrad, Kai A & Lommerud, Kjell Erik, 1995. " Family Policy with Non-cooperative Families," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 97(4), pages 581-601, December.
  6. Paul R. Milgrom, 1984. "Job Discrimination, Market Forces and the Invisibility Hypothesis," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 708R, Cowles Foundation, Yale University, revised 1985. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Lazear, E.P. & Rosen, S., 1988. "Male-Female Wage Differentials In Job Ladders," Papers e-88-18, Stanford - Hoover Institution.
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  8. Renes, Gusta & Ridder, Geert, 1995. "Are women overqualified," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 3-18, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Lundberg, Shelly J & Startz, Richard, 1983. "Private Discrimination and Social Intervention in Competitive Labor Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(3), pages 340-47, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Kenneth Arrow, 1971. "The Theory of Discrimination," Working Papers 403, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
  11. Francois, Patrick, 1998. "Gender discrimination without gender difference: theory and policy responses," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 1-32, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Pierre-André Chiappori & Murat Iyigun & Yoram Weiss, 2006. "Investment in Schooling and the Marriage Market," IZA Discussion Papers 2454, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. de la Rica, Sara & Dolado, Juan José & García-Peñalosa, Cecilia, 2008. "On Gender Gaps and Self-fulfilling Expectations: Theory, Policies and Some Empirical Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 3553, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. John M. Evans, 2002. "Work/Family Reconciliation, Gender Wage Equity and Occupational Segregation: The Role of Firms and Public Policy," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 28(s1), pages 187-216, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Sandvik, B. & Straume, Odd Rune, 2003. "Good Jobs, Bad Jobs and Redistribution," CEPR Discussion Papers 4115, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Junichiro Ishida & Hiromi Nosaka, 2007. "Gender Specialization of Skill Acquisition," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 7(1). [Downloadable!]
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