The role of the social economy as a transformative agent in labour markets: Contribution to the reduction of gender gaps in job quality

Abstract

Improving decent work, including the elimination of gender discrimination at work, has become a major challenge on the international policy agenda. Policy development has focused on the role of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) as a transformative actor in labour markets to increase gender equality. However, the empirical literature is limited by the scarcity of data and tends to consider isolated aspects of job quality and to focus on specific types of SSE entities, with no findings regarding job quality from a global perspective. The aim of the paper is to fill this gap and analyse the contribution of all social economy (SE) entities to the reduction of gender gaps in job quality. For this purpose, the Continuous Sample of Working Histories database for 2008–2017 is used for Spain, where SE is defined in Law 5/2011 on SE. A composite index is designed and estimated, providing synthetic information for SE entities and a control group of profit-oriented firms. The results support the key role of the SE in contributing to gender equality in labour markets, as it shows lower gender gaps than profit-oriented firms. These findings provide evidence-based insights about the specific contribution of the SE to reducing gender gaps.