Authors: 

Eileen Peters, Research Assistant and PhD student at Bielefeld University.

Silvia Maja Melzer, Research Assistant in Social Structure (Prof. Diewald) at Bielefeld University.

Lynn Prince Cooke, Professor in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences at Bath University.

Date: 18/02/20

Time: 15.00 h

Room: 20179 (Jaume I bdg)
 

Abstract:

This paper disentangles gender and gendered parenthood effects in the access to employer-provided training and provides a detailed overview of existing training disparities, differentiating between childless employees and employees with preschool and older children. Furthermore, the analysis shed light on whether women in power are supportive of other female employees, neutral, or obstructionist vis-à-vis employee training while also considering supervisors and subordinates parenthood status. Using unique linked employer-employee data combining administrative and survey information of 5,347 employees in 123 German workplaces, we estimate workplace fixed-effects regressions. The results provide evidence that employer’s engage in statistical discrimination since childless women show lower training probabilities compared to childless men. Furthermore, motherhood is not per se associated with lower training probabilities: mothers with older children show the same likelihood to participate in employer-provided training as men with and without children. Moreover, female supervisors do not automatically yield positive, no or negative consequences for female subordinates but the relationship is dependent on motherhood status. If childless women and mothers with older children report to a female supervisor with children, mothers display higher training probabilities compared to childless women. In contrast, if childless women and mothers with older children report to a childless female supervisor, there are no significant differences in training probabilities.