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The Gender Pension Gap in China

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  • Rui Zhao
  • Yaohui Zhao

Abstract

China has had a large gender gap in labor force participation, sectors of employment, and earnings. This study shows that disadvantages in the labor market for women are the primary drivers of the gender pension gap. Among people age 60 and older, women receive about half of the amount of men's social pensions. Using the 2013 wave of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the CHARLS Life History Survey of 2014, this contribution has three main findings. First, about three-quarters of the deficit in women's pensions is explained by women's lower likelihood of receiving occupational pensions, and one-third is due to smaller benefits when they do receive them. Second, the gender deficit in receiving an occupational pension can be explained by education level and employment sector. Third, among pension recipients, nearly one-third of the gender benefit gap is explained by women's fewer years of employment and lower salaries.

Suggested Citation

  • Rui Zhao & Yaohui Zhao, 2018. "The Gender Pension Gap in China," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 218-239, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:24:y:2018:i:2:p:218-239
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2017.1411601
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    Cited by:

    1. Hanewald, Katja & Jia, Ruo & Liu, Zining, 2021. "Why is inequality higher among the old? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    2. Marini, Andrea, 2024. "Updating the retirement-consumption puzzle in Italy: who are the most affected?," Working Paper Series 2936, European Central Bank.
    3. Liu, Jing & Xu, Shu, 2023. "Retirement policy, employment status, and gender pay gap in urban China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Feng, Lyubing & He, Yuxi & Zhan, Peng, 2023. "Economic independence and living arrangements of older women with agricultural Hukou in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    5. Anat Herbst-Debby, 2023. "What’s Your Pension Story? Women’s Perspectives during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Old-Age Pension Status, Past and Present," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Hou, Bo & Wang, Gewei & Wang, Yafeng & Zhao, Yaohui, 2021. "The health capacity to work at older ages in urban China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Jiao, Yang & Qi, Li & Chen, Zhuo, 2023. "Academic profile of Chinese economists: Productivity, pay, time use, gender differences, and impacts of COVID-19," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    8. Wang, Wen & Shi, Hongyu & Li, Qiang, 2023. "Pension gap between the Chinese public and nonpublic sectors： evidence in the context of the integration of dual-track pension schemes," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 664-688.
    9. Gustafsson, Björn Anders & Zhang, Peng & Jia, Hanrui, 2023. "How and Why the Gender Pension Gap in Urban China Decreased between 1988 and 2018," IZA Discussion Papers 16558, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Dehua Li & Juling Niu, 2024. "The Gender Gap in Pension Income for Urban Employees in China," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(3), pages 21582440241, July.
    11. Marcela PARADA‐CONTZEN, 2023. "Gender, family status and health characteristics: Understanding retirement inequalities in the Chilean pension model," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 162(2), pages 271-303, June.
    12. Peng Nie & Yan Li & Lanlin Ding & Alfonso Sousa-Poza, 2021. "Housing Poverty and Healthy Aging in China: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-20, September.
    13. Gong, Jinquan & Wang, Gewei & Wang, Yafeng & Zhao, Yaohui, 2022. "Consumption and poverty of older Chinese: 2011–2020," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    14. Anna Jędrzychowska & Ilona Kwiecień & Ewa Poprawska, 2020. "The Motherhood Pension Gap in a Defined Contribution Pension Scheme—the Case of Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, May.
    15. Li, Qin & Smith, James P. & Zhao, Yaohui, 2023. "Understanding the effects of widowhood on health in China: Mechanisms and heterogeneity," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).
    16. Lei, Lei, 2020. "Essays on labor and family economics in China," Other publications TiSEM 9fbaf9e2-3185-4750-a96d-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    17. Carla Rowold, 2024. "Full-time employment is all that matters? Quantifying the role of relevant and gender-exclusive life course experiences for gender inequalities," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2024-021, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    18. Li, Yunsen & Yang, Haoran & Luo, Liang, 2021. "Poverty exposure and cognitive abilities of children in rural China: Causation and the roles of family investments," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    19. Hanrui Jia & Peng Zhan, 2021. "Intra‐family Income Redistribution and Its Dynamic Changes among the Elderly in China: 2002–2018," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(5), pages 84-104, September.

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