IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/socarx/tzma5.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Is the Recession a ‘Shecession’? Gender Inequality in the Employment Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Moehring, Katja

    (University of Mannheim)

  • Reifenscheid, Maximiliane
  • Weiland, Andreas

Abstract

This paper evaluates gender inequality in employment risks during the first and the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. We use individual-level panel data collected weekly between 20 March and 9 July 2020, and again in January 2021, to examine the risks of short-time work, job loss and unpaid furlough, as well as having to work on-site by means of growth curve modelling. The results reveal gender inequality in employment risks and gendered use of governmental support schemes. During the early phase of the pandemic, women had a higher probability of being temporarily exempted from work, but a lower probability of being in short-time work and receiving the associated state benefits. Compared to men, women also continuously had a higher probability of working on-site rather that from home. Consequently, women’s employment during the pandemic is more polarized between job loss or working on-site with the associated infection risk. Gender inequalities are rooted in the long-term gendered dualization of the German labour market with the low-wage sector and marginal employment being female dominated. The results call for close monitoring of long-term gendered effects of the pandemic recession and an adjustment of governmental crisis measures to the requirements of the female workforce.

Suggested Citation

  • Moehring, Katja & Reifenscheid, Maximiliane & Weiland, Andreas, 2021. "Is the Recession a ‘Shecession’? Gender Inequality in the Employment Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany," SocArXiv tzma5, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:tzma5
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/tzma5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/605365c0c402cc0081977d30/
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/tzma5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Doepke, M. & Tertilt, M., 2016. "Families in Macroeconomics," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 1789-1891, Elsevier.
    2. Anna Hammerschmid & Julia Schmieder & Katharina Wrohlich, 2020. "Frauen in Corona-Krise stärker am Arbeitsmarkt betroffen als Männer," DIW aktuell 42, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Titan Alon & Matthias Doepke & Jane Olmstead-Rumsey & Michèle Tertilt, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_163, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    4. Michael C. Burda & Jennifer Hunt, 2011. "What Explains the German Labor Market Miracle in the Great Recession," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 42(1 (Spring), pages 273-335.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Dandan & Liu, Yaxuan & Zhao, Yiling, 2024. "Working mothers' dilemma during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Christina Boll & Dana Müller & Simone Schüller, 2021. "Neither Backlash nor Convergence: Dynamics of Intracouple Childcare Division after the First Covid-19 Lockdown and Subsequent Reopening in Germany," CESifo Working Paper Series 9091, CESifo.
    3. Titan Alon & Sena Coskun & Matthias Doepke & David Koll & Michèle Tertilt, 2022. "From Mancession to Shecession: Women’s Employment in Regular and Pandemic Recessions," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(1), pages 83-151.
    4. Nurgun Kul Parlak & Ayse Nur Ciftci, 2022. "Pandeminin Kayit Disi Istihdami Dislama Etkisi: Turkiye’de Formel-Enformel Emek Piyasalarindaki Ayrisma," Journal of Social Policy Conferences, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(82), pages 93-135, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alison Andrew & Sarah Cattan & Monica Costa Dias & Christine Farquharson & Lucy Kraftman & Sonya Krutikova & Angus Phimister & Almudena Sevilla, 2022. "The gendered division of paid and domestic work under lockdown," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(4), pages 325-340, December.
    2. Zoch, Gundula & Bächmann, Ann-Christin & Vicari, Basha, 2020. "Care-Arrangements and Parental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 202035, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    3. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Viet Nguyen, Cuong, 2021. "Gender inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic: Income, expenditure, savings, and job loss," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    4. Brzezinski, Michal, 2021. "The impact of past pandemics on economic and gender inequalities," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    5. Jose Cuesta & Julieth Pico, 2020. "The Gendered Poverty Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Colombia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(5), pages 1558-1591, December.
    6. Fuchs, Michaela & Otto, Anne & Fritzsche, Birgit, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für Thüringen," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Sachsen-Anhalt-Thüringen 202101, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    7. Hövermann, Andreas, 2021. "Belastungswahrnehmung in der Corona-Pandemie: Erkenntnisse aus vier Wellen der HBS-Erwerbspersonenbefragung 2020/21," WSI Policy Briefs 50, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    8. Eileen Peters, 2021. "What You Want Is Not Always What You Get: Gender Differences in Employer-Employee Exchange Relationships during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, July.
    9. Boll, Christina & Müller, Dana & Schüller, Simone, 2021. "Neither Backlash nor Convergence: Dynamics of Intracouple Childcare Division after the First COVID-19 Lockdown and Subsequent Reopening in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 14375, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Otto, Anne & Fuchs, Michaela & Stabler, Jochen, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für das Saarland," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Rheinland-Pfalz-Saarland 202101, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    11. Otto, Anne & Fuchs, Michaela & Wydra-Somaggio, Gabriele & Stabler, Jochen, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für Rheinland-Pfalz," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Rheinland-Pfalz-Saarland 202102, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    12. Fuchs, Michaela & Otto, Anne & Fritzsche, Birgit, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für Sachsen-Anhalt," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Sachsen-Anhalt-Thüringen 202102, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    13. Marco Colagrossi & Claudio Deiana & Andrea Geraci & Ludovica Giua, 2022. "Hang up on stereotypes: Domestic violence and an anti‐abuse helpline campaign," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(4), pages 585-611, October.
    14. Sergio Destefanis & Matteo Fragetta & Giuseppe Mastromatteo & Nazzareno Ruggiero, 2020. "The Beveridge curve in the OECD before and after the great recession," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(3), pages 411-436, September.
    15. Konon, Alexander & Fritsch, Michael & Kritikos, Alexander S., 2018. "Business cycles and start-ups across industries: An empirical analysis of German regions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 742-761.
    16. Foliano, Francesca & Tonei, Valentina & Sevilla, Almudena, 2024. "Social restrictions, leisure and well-being," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Brodeur, Abel & Clark, Andrew E. & Fleche, Sarah & Powdthavee, Nattavudh, 2021. "COVID-19, lockdowns and well-being: Evidence from Google Trends," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    18. Lonnie Golden & Stuart Glosser, 2013. "Work sharing as a potential policy tool for creating more and better employment: A review of the evidence," Chapters, in: Jon C. Messenger & Naj Ghosheh (ed.), Work Sharing during the Great Recession, chapter 7, pages 203-258, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    19. Brücker, Herbert & Gundacker, Lidwina & Hauptmann, Andreas & Jaschke, Philipp, 2021. "Arbeitsmarktwirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie: Stabile Beschäftigung, aber steigende Arbeitslosigkeit von Migrantinnen und Migranten (Labor Market Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Robust Employment, bu," IAB-Kurzbericht 202109, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    20. Kouki, Amairisa, 2023. "Beyond the “Comforts” of work from home: Child health and the female wage penalty," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:tzma5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://arabixiv.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.