Gender and the Effect of Working Hours on Firm-Sponsored Training

CentER Discussion Paper Series No. 2015-051

37 Pages Posted: 4 Nov 2015

See all articles by Matteo Picchio

Matteo Picchio

Marche Polytechnic University - Department of Economic and Social Science; IZA Institute of Labor Economics; SHERPPA - Ghent University

Jan C. van Ours

Tilburg University - Department of Economics; University of Melbourne - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 3, 2015

Abstract

Using employees’ longitudinal data, we study the effect of working hours on the propensity of firms to sponsor training of their employees. We show that, whereas male part-time workers are less likely to receive training than male full-timers, part-time working women are as likely to receive training as full-time working women. Although we cannot rule out gender-working time specific monopsony power, we speculate that the gender-specific effect of working hours on training has to do with gender-specific stereotyping. In the Netherlands, for women it is common to work part-time. More than half of the prime age female employees work part-time. Therefore, because of social norms, men working part-time could send a different signal to their employer than women working part-time. This might generate a different propensity of firms to sponsor training of male part-timers than female part-timers.

Keywords: part-time employment, working hours, firm-sponsored training, gender

JEL Classification: C33, C35, J24, M51, M53

Suggested Citation

Picchio, Matteo and van Ours, Jan C., Gender and the Effect of Working Hours on Firm-Sponsored Training (November 3, 2015). CentER Discussion Paper Series No. 2015-051, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2685694 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2685694

Matteo Picchio (Contact Author)

Marche Polytechnic University - Department of Economic and Social Science ( email )

Piazzale Martelli, 8
60121 Ancona
Italy
+39 071 220 7176 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.univpm.it/matteo.picchio

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

SHERPPA - Ghent University ( email )

Tweekerkenstraat 2
Ghent, B-9000
Belgium

Jan C. Van Ours

Tilburg University - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, 5000 LE
Netherlands
+31 13 466 2880 (Phone)
+31 13 466 3042 (Fax)

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics ( email )

Melbourne, 3010
Australia

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