Abstract:

Differences in the labour market experiences of men and women have fallen over the last 20 years, but there are still sizeable ‘gender gaps’ in employment and wages. Certain factors help to explain a good part of gender gaps, including caring for young children, occupational choice and part-time work (which suffers a pay penalty). Recent and proposed policy changes have focused on supporting family-friendly employment for both men and women, including improvements in childcare provision, improved paternity leave and greater transparency on wage gaps within firms. It is unclear, however, if these policies will be effective in helping to close the gender gaps.