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Field
Paper Abstract
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Before
This paper uses a field experiment in Malawi to show that highly skilled women are systematically disadvantaged by referral-based hiring, highlighting another channel behind gender disparities in the labor market. The main reason is that men systematically refer few women. We show this is not because there are too few women who are qualified for the job. Instead we show that factors which are not related to women's qualifications but are instead due to the social environment - such as men having worse information about women’s abilities and receiving more social benefits from referring men - play a role. Firms cannot just rely on their female employees either since in this context, at least, women referred lower quality candidates.
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After
This paper uses a field experiment in Malawi to show that highly skilled women are systematically disadvantaged by referral-based hiring, highlighting another channel behind gender disparities in the labor market. The main reason is that men systematically refer few women. We show this is not because there are too few women who are qualified for the job. Instead we show that factors which are not related to women's qualifications but are instead due to the social environment - such as men having worse information about women’s abilities and receiving more social benefits from referring men - play a role. Firms cannot just rely on their female employees either since in this context, at least, women referred lower quality candidates.
Note: This paper will be published in the Journal of Labor Economics, forthcoming in January 2018.
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