TY - UNPB

T1 - Explaining Age and Gender Differences in Employment Rates

T2 - A Labor Supply Side Perspective

AU - Humpert, Stephan

AU - Pfeifer, Christian

PY - 2011/8

Y1 - 2011/8

N2 - This paper takes a labor supply perspective (neoclassical labor supply, job search) to explain the lower employment rates of older workers and women. The basic rationale is that workers choose non-employment if their reservation wages are larger than the offered wages. Whereas the latter depend on workers' productivity and firms' decisions, reservation wages are largely determined by workers' endowments and preferences for leisure. To shed some empirical light on this issue, we use German survey data to analyze age and gender differences in reservation and entry wages, preferred and actual working hours, and satisfaction with leisure and work.

AB - This paper takes a labor supply perspective (neoclassical labor supply, job search) to explain the lower employment rates of older workers and women. The basic rationale is that workers choose non-employment if their reservation wages are larger than the offered wages. Whereas the latter depend on workers' productivity and firms' decisions, reservation wages are largely determined by workers' endowments and preferences for leisure. To shed some empirical light on this issue, we use German survey data to analyze age and gender differences in reservation and entry wages, preferred and actual working hours, and satisfaction with leisure and work.

KW - Economics

KW - age

KW - family gap

KW - gender

KW - job search

KW - labor supply

KW - reservation wages

KW - Gender and Diversity

M3 - Working papers

T3 - University of Lüneburg working paper series in economics

BT - Explaining Age and Gender Differences in Employment Rates

PB - Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg

CY - Lüneburg

ER -