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The Gender Promotion Gap: Evidence from Central Banking

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  • Laura Hospido
  • Luc Laeven
  • Ana Lamo

Abstract

We examine gender differences in career progression and promotions using personnel data from the European Central Bank (ECB) during the period 2003-2017. A gender wage gap emerges within a few years of hiring, despite broadly similar entry conditions. We also find a gender promotion gap before 2010 when the ECB issued a public commitment to diversity. Following this change, the promotion gap disappears. Using data on promotion applications, we find a gender application bias, partly driven by preferences for competition. Following promotion, women perform better in terms of salary progression.

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  • Laura Hospido & Luc Laeven & Ana Lamo, 2022. "The Gender Promotion Gap: Evidence from Central Banking," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(5), pages 981-996, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:104:y:2022:i:5:p:981-996
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_00988
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    2. Ghazala Azmat & Vicente Cunãt & Emeric Henry, 2020. "Gender Promotion Gaps: Career Aspirations and Workplace Discrimination," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03393067, HAL.
    3. Simona Malovana & Martin Hodula & Zuzana Rakovska, 2020. "Researching the Research: A Central Banking Edition," Research and Policy Notes 2020/03, Czech National Bank.
    4. Kouki, Amairisa, 2023. "Beyond the “Comforts” of work from home: Child health and the female wage penalty," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    5. Farré, Lídia & Ortega, Francesc, 2021. "Family Ties, Geographic Mobility and the Gender Gap in Academic Aspirations," IZA Discussion Papers 14561, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Th'eo Durandard, 2023. "Dynamic delegation in promotion contests," Papers 2308.05668, arXiv.org.
    7. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/36jvih4hu68rb95obgqoqsjtep is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Panizza, Ugo & Nano, Enrico & Viarengo, Martina, 2021. "A Generation of Italian Economists," CEPR Discussion Papers 16135, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Boryana Ilieva, 2023. "Promotion Prospects and Within-level Wage Growth: A Decomposition of the Part-time Penalty for Women," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 457, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    10. Andri Chassamboulli & Demetris Koursaros, 2022. "Career and Non-Career Jobs: Dangling the Carrot," University of Cyprus Working Papers in Economics 07-2022, University of Cyprus Department of Economics.
    11. Matthieu Bunel & Dominique Meurs & Élisabeth Tovar, 2024. "Moving apart: job-driven residential mobility and the gender pay gap Evidence from a large industrial firm," EconomiX Working Papers 2024-6, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    12. Ivan Privalko, 2021. "Gender differences in Russia's job mobility and its rewards," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 405-429, July.
    13. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/36jvih4hu68rb95obgqoqsjtep is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Riefler, Raul & Tosun, Onur Kemal & Baeckström, Ylva, 2023. "The role of gender in sales behaviour: Evidence from institutional financial brokerage," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    15. Luz A. Florez & Ligia Alba Melo-Becerra & Carlos Esteban Posada, 2021. "Estimating the reservation wage across city groups in Colombia: A stochastic frontier approach," Borradores de Economia 1163, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    16. Lamo, Ana & Laeven, Luc, 2019. "The gender promotion gap: what holds back female economists from making a career in central banking?," Research Bulletin, European Central Bank, vol. 63.
    17. Iñigo Hernandez-Arenaz & Nagore Iriberri, 2023. "Gender differences in alternating-offer bargaining: an experimental study," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 26(4), pages 879-914, September.
    18. Farré, Lídia & Ortega, Francesc, 2019. "Selecting Talent: Gender Differences in Participation and Success in Competitive Selection Processes," IZA Discussion Papers 12530, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs

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