Gender gaps in South Korea’s labour market: children explain most of the gender employment gap, but little of the gender wage gap
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Level 4 by design analogy (observational econometric analysis using repeated cross-sectional labour force survey data).
OpenAlex W4381594473 · doi:10.1080/13504851.2023.2206103
What was done
The authors analyzed South Korean labour force survey data from 2010 to 2019 to estimate gender wage gaps, gender employment gaps, and child earnings penalties for women aged 25–54. They assessed the contribution of differential sorting by gender across education, occupation, and industry lines, as well as family care responsibilities.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical estimates or statistical indices. Directionally, it reports that differential sorting across education, occupation, or industry does not explain most of the gender gaps, that caring for children (and potentially the elderly) is the primary factor driving the gender employment gap, and that large gender wage gaps persist even among women without caregiving responsibilities.
Why it matters
This study demonstrates that policy initiatives aimed solely at work–family balance may increase female labour force participation but will likely fail to close South Korea's gender wage gap.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample size, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. The observational cross-sectional design cannot fully rule out unobserved confounding factors, and the conclusions reflect institutional features specific to South Korea between 2010 and 2019.
Cited by
- supports In South Korea, women attain higher education degrees at the same rate as men, but a large gender wage gap persists in employment.