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The Gender Application Gap: Do Men and Women Apply for the Same Jobs?

Author

Listed:
  • Fluchtmann, Jonas

    (OECD)

  • Glenny, Anita Marie

    (Aarhus University)

  • Harmon, Nikolaj

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Maibom, Jonas

    (Aarhus University)

Abstract

Men and women tend to hold different jobs. Are these differences present already in the types of jobs men and women apply for? Using administrative data on job applications made by the universe of Danish UI recipients, we provide evidence on gender differences in applied-for jobs for the broader labor market. Across a range of job characteristics, we find large gender gaps in the share of applications going to different types of jobs even among observationally similar men and women. In a standard decomposition, gender differences in applications can explain more than 70 percent of the residual gender wage gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Fluchtmann, Jonas & Glenny, Anita Marie & Harmon, Nikolaj & Maibom, Jonas, 2021. "The Gender Application Gap: Do Men and Women Apply for the Same Jobs?," IZA Discussion Papers 14906, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp14906
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    Cited by:

    1. Bamieh, Omar & Ziegler, Lennart, 2023. "Gender-age differences in hiring rates and prospective wages—Evidence from job referrals to unemployed workers," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Patricia Palffy & Patrick Lehnert & Uschi Backes‐Gellner, 2023. "Social norms and gendered occupational choices of men and women: Time to turn the tide?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(4), pages 380-410, October.
    3. Bazen, Stephen & Charni, Kadija, 2023. "Gender Differences in the Early Career Earnings of Economics Graduates," IZA Discussion Papers 15954, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    job search; wage decomposition; firm wage premium; gender earnings gap;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J29 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Other
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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