Gender gaps in recurrence and concentration of unemployment: Evidence from youth leaving France’s education system

Abstract

This study proposes a welfare-based analysis of the gender gap in unemployment by examining the gender differences in the concentration and repeated spells of unemployment using data from the French cohort survey ("Enquête Génération") regularly conducted by the French Center for Studies and Research on Qualifications (CEREQ). In fact, studies on the gender gap in unemployment have focused primarily on the unemployment rate, ignoring the welfare dimension of the issue. This former captures only the cross-section elements of unemployment, omitting its longitudinal and repetitive aspects, which are of crucial interest from a welfare perspective, especially if unemployment is measured over a period of time (say one year or more). Building upon previous research on the measurement of unemployment and on explaining recurrent spells of unemployment, we propose a welfare-based analysis of gender gaps in unemployment. Unemployment involves welfare loss that can be analyzed through its recurrence and concentration. Both recurrence and concentration of unemployment lead to unstable and difficult living conditions. We use (Shorrocks A, J Eco Inequal 7: 295–310, 2008b) index of unemployment and count data models to apprehend and model these two aspects of unemployment. Then, we apply a regression-based decomposition method to identify the factors behind the gender gaps in recurrent unemployment and concentration of unemployment among youth leaving the education system in France. The results suggest that the gender gaps in recurrent unemployment and concentration of unemployment result from differences in the way young females and males are treated in the labor market. JEL Codes: J16; J64; J71; C41; D63