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Research ArticleArticles
Open Access

Workplace Presenteeism, Job Substitutability and Gender Inequality

Ghazala Azmat, Lena Hensvik and Olof Rosenqvist
Published online before print November 10, 2022, 1121-12014R2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.1121-12014R2
Ghazala Azmat
Ghazala Azmat is a Professor of Economics at Sciences Po ().
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Lena Hensvik
Lena Hensvik is a Professor of Economics at Uppsala University.
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Olof Rosenqvist
Olof Rosenqvist is a Researcher at the Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy (IFAU).
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Abstract

This paper explores how the parenthood wage penalty is partially explained by an increased within-couple gap in job uniqueness (i.e., the within-establishment substitutability of workers). Uniqueness is rewarded with higher wages, but it requires worker presenteeism (i.e., the lack of unpredictable work absences), which entails a higher cost of childbearing. Using a within-couple event study approach, we show that after the arrival of the first child, women take more days of absence than men and their likelihood of holding jobs with low substitutability decreases. We find that 15 years after childbearing, the male-female gender gap in holding a (higher-paying) unique jobs increases by 6 percentage points. The results suggest that structural changes towards greater work flexibility, making it less costly for workers in unique jobs not to be present, can help to reduce the parenthood wage penalty.

Keywords:
  • work absence
  • job substitutability
  • gender wage inequality
JEL-codes:
  • J16
  • J22

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://jhr.uwpress.org

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Journal of Human Resources: 58 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 58, Issue 3
1 May 2023
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Workplace Presenteeism, Job Substitutability and Gender Inequality
Ghazala Azmat, Lena Hensvik, Olof Rosenqvist
Journal of Human Resources Nov 2022, 1121-12014R2; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.1121-12014R2

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Workplace Presenteeism, Job Substitutability and Gender Inequality
Ghazala Azmat, Lena Hensvik, Olof Rosenqvist
Journal of Human Resources Nov 2022, 1121-12014R2; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.1121-12014R2
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Keywords

  • work absence
  • job substitutability
  • gender wage inequality
  • J16
  • J22
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