Comparative Methods in Research on Gender

1. Comparative Methods in Research on Gender Wendy Sigle-Rushton ESRC Methods Festival 2 July 2008 St. Catherine’s College, Oxford

2. Comparative Methods • Why compare • What to compare • How to compare • Benefits of comparison • Caveats

3. Why compare • Pragmatic concerns • International agendas • Broaden perspective • Quasi-natural experiment • Allows for theory building/testing

4. What to compare • Comparisons across • Countries • Regions within countries (e.g. US States) • Time

5. What to compare • Variables to compare • Inputs and Institutions • Expenditure and welfare effort • Aims and ideologies • Politics • Financing and delivery of policies • Welfare mix • Example: Jane Lewis – gender roles

6. What to compare • Variables to compare • Outcomes, for example • Income distribution/poverty alleviation • Social exclusion/inclusion • Gender equality • Decommodification • Studies of outcomes • Maitre et al – income packaging • Rake – elderly, gender equality • Christopher – (lone) mothers • Sainsbury – gender equality • Sigle-Rushton and Waldfogel – earnings, household income • Hobcraft and Sigle-Rushton – social exclusion

7. How to compare • Identify broad similarities and differences • Exploit variation across space • Simulations

8. Benefits of comparison • Common and dissimilar problems/patterns • Quasi-natural experiment • Inspire best practice • Inspire and inform good measurement

9. Caveats • Reliance on similar, available measures • Harmonisation • Proxy variables • Validity

10. Occupational Segregation, 2000 Source: OECD 2002

11. Gender Wage Gap and Employment, 2000 Source: OECD 2002

12. Caveats • Reliance on similar, available measures • Harmonisation • Proxy variables • Validity • Tensions: Difference and sameness • Static measures • Geographical variations often ignored • Explanans et explanandum • Requires a lot of detail

13. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Data: Luxembourg Income Study • Strengths: Harmonised data, large number of countries • Relatively recent data available for many countries • Countries • Anglo-Saxon: Canada, United Kingdom (UK), United States • Continental Europe: Germany, the Netherlands • Nordic: Norway, Sweden, Finland

14. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Using the regressions: • Estimated wages for each age assuming different fertility histories • Estimate motherhood gaps • Estimate gender gaps by fertility history

15. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Using the regressions: • What the regressions show • Average gross earnings • What they don’t show • The reasons for the differences • Economic well-being

16. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Overall patterns • Large earnings penalties for each child, little catch-up • Germany, Netherlands, UK (esp. first) • Moderate earnings penalties for first child, differences persist • Canada • Small earnings penalty for each child, some catch-up • US, Norway • Moderate penalties for the first child, rapid catch-up • Sweden, Finland

18. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Overall patterns • Large earnings penalties for each child, little catch-up • Germany, Netherlands, UK (esp. first) • Moderate earnings penalties for first child, differences persist • Canada

20. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Overall patterns • Large earnings penalties for each child, little catch-up • Germany, Netherlands, UK (esp. first) • Moderate earnings penalties for first child, some catch-up • Canada • Small earnings penalty for each child, some catch-up • US, Norway

22. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings • Overall patterns • Large earnings penalties for each child, little catch-up • Germany, Netherlands, UK (esp. first) • Moderate earnings penalties for first child, some catch-up • Canada • Small earnings penalty for each child, some catch-up • US, Norway • Moderate penalties for the first child, rapid catch-up • Sweden, Finland

24. Cumulative earnings of mothers aged 18-45 with medium education relative to non-mothers Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings

25. Example from my research on motherhood gaps in earnings Cumulative earnings of mothers aged 18-45 with medium education relative to men

26. Summary • Comparative studies can • Highlight similarities and differences • Inspire best practice • But • Direct of causation is rarely clear • Explanatory processes are rarely clear • Important measures may be omitted • Individuals vary as well as policies • Important to keep in mind when looking at “simulations” • Predictive power is tentative

27. References • Christopher, K. (2002) “Helping mothers escape poverty.” LIS working paper No. 298. • Figari, F., Immervoll, H., Levy, H. and Sutherland, H. (2007) "Inequalities within Couples: Market Incomes and the Role of Taxes and Benefits in Europe". IZA Discussion Paper No. 3201 • Lewis, J. (1992) ‘Gender and the Development of Welfare Regimes’, Journal of European Social Policy 2(3):159-173. • Maitre, B., Nolan, B. and Whelan, C.T. (2005) “Welfare regimes and household income packaging in the European Union.” Journal of European Social Policy 15(2): 157.171. • Rake, K. (1999) Accumulated disadvantage? Welfare state provision and the incomes of older women and men in Britain, France and Germany. In J. Clasen (ed.) Comparative Social Policy: Concepts, Theories and Methods Oxford, Blackwell. • Sigle-Rushton, W. and Waldfogel, J. (2007) “Motherhood and women’s earnings in Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic countries.” Feminist Economics 13(2): 55-92.