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The effect of COVID-19 on the gender gap in remote work

Author

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  • Marcén, Miriam
  • Morales, Marina

Abstract

We examine changes in the gender gap in working from home (WFH) in response to the unanticipated first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from the American Time Use Survey, we find a non-negligible widening of the gender gap with WFH being more prevalent among women than among men. Respondents' job traits played a significant role in the gender gap variations, those working in the private sector being the most affected. Young individuals, those more educated, and those living with a dependent person increased the gender gap more in terms of the proportion of time devoted to WFH. We further show evidence suggesting the mitigating effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions during the first wave of the pandemic, positively affecting the WFH tendency for men but not for women. Overall, the gender gap change proves robust to identification checks. In addition, the gender gap response has had a long-lasting impact on the gender gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcén, Miriam & Morales, Marina, 2024. "The effect of COVID-19 on the gender gap in remote work," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1379, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1379
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bertrand, Marianne, 2011. "New Perspectives on Gender," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 17, pages 1543-1590, Elsevier.
    2. Marianne Bertrand & Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 2010. "Dynamics of the Gender Gap for Young Professionals in the Financial and Corporate Sectors," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 228-255, July.
    3. Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis & Yulia Zhestkova, 2021. "COVID-19 Shifted Patent Applications toward Technologies That Support Working from Home," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 263-266, May.
    4. Ritsu Kitagawa & Sachiko Kuroda & Hiroko Okudaira & Hideo Owan, 2021. "Working from home and productivity under the COVID-19 pandemic: Using survey data of four manufacturing firms," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-24, December.
    5. Marcén, Miriam & Morales, Marina, 2021. "Culture and the cross-country differences in the gender commuting gap," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; working from home (WFH); gender; American Time Use Survey (ATUS);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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