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The Family Gap in Wages: What Wombmates Reveal

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  • Simonsen, Marianne

    (Aarhus University)

  • Skipper, Lars

    (KORA - Danish Institute for Local and Regional Government Research)

Abstract

We shed new light on the effects of having children on hourly wages by exploiting access to data on the entire population of employed same-sex twins in Denmark. Our second contribution is the use of administrative data on absenteeism; the amount of hours off due to holidays and sickness. Our results suggest that childbearing reduces female hourly wages but the principal explanation is in fact mothers' higher levels of absence. We find a positive wage premium for fathers.

Suggested Citation

  • Simonsen, Marianne & Skipper, Lars, 2009. "The Family Gap in Wages: What Wombmates Reveal," IZA Discussion Papers 4650, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4650
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    2. J. I. Gimenez-Nadal & J. A. Molina & J. Velilla, 2022. "Commuting time and sickness absence of US workers," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 49(3), pages 691-719, August.
    3. Dominique Meurs & Elena Vilar & Claudio Lucifora, 2019. "Having a child? Here is the bill - Parenthood, Earnings and Careers in an Internal Labor," Working Papers hal-04141921, HAL.
    4. Gimenez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto & Velilla, Jorge, 2018. "Commuting Time and Sick-Day Absence of US Workers," IZA Discussion Papers 11700, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Nizalova, Olena Y. & Sliusarenko, Tamara & Shpak, Solomiya, 2016. "The motherhood wage penalty in times of transition," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 56-75.
    6. Rosangela Bando, 2019. "Evidence-based gender equality policy and pay in Latin America and the Caribbean: progress and challenges," Latin American Economic Review, Springer;Centro de Investigaciòn y Docencia Económica (CIDE), vol. 28(1), pages 1-23, December.
    7. Joseph, Olivier & Pailhé, Ariane & Recotillet, Isabelle & Solaz, Anne, 2013. "The economic impact of taking short parental leave: Evaluation of a French reform," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 63-75.
    8. Grimshaw, Damian. & Rubery, Jill., 2015. "The motherhood pay gap : a review of the issues, theory and international evidence," ILO Working Papers 994873763402676, International Labour Organization.
    9. Chloé Duvivier & Mathieu Narcy, 2015. "The Motherhood Wage Penalty and Its Determinants: A Public–Private Comparison," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 29(4), pages 415-443, December.
    10. Nikolay Angelov & Per Johansson & Erica Lindahl, 2020. "Sick of family responsibilities?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 777-814, February.
    11. Hanna Jung, 2023. "Gender wage penalty in parenthood: A comparative study of South Korea and Japan," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 3-26, February.
    12. Drahomíra Zajíèková & Miroslav Zajíèek, 2022. "The Fatherhood Premium or the Fatherhood Penalty? It Depends on the Type of Marriage You’re in: The Case of Slovakia 2009 through 2018," Journal of Economics / Ekonomicky casopis, Institute of Economic Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, vol. 70(7-8), pages 646-677, July.
    13. Eva Rye Johansen & Helena Skyt Nielsen & Mette Verner, 2018. "Long-term Consequences of Early Parenthood," Economics Working Papers 2018-01, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    14. repec:ilo:ilowps:487376 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Fazeer Rahim, 2014. "Work-family attitudes and career interruptions due to childbirth," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 177-205, March.
    16. Eva Rye Johansen & Helena Skyt Nielsen & Mette Verner, 2018. "Long-term Consequences of Early Parenthood," Economics Working Papers 2018-01-, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    17. Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska & Anna Matysiak, 2018. "The Motherhood Wage Penalty: A Meta-Analysis," VID Working Papers 1808, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • 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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