Exploring gender gaps: the roles of institutional policy, workplace flexibility, and intra household dynamics

Gender disparities in labor markets are shaped by institutional policies, firm practices, and household dynamics. This thesis examines underexplored aspects of these inequalities across macro, meso, and micro levels. The first chapter investigates China’s two-child policy as a natural experiment using CFPS data and a triple-differences model. Results show that one-child mothers faced higher wage penalties after the policy through statistical discrimination, while two-child mothers experienced lower wage penalties, reflecting a taste-based discrimination. The second chapter analyzes flexible working arrangements in the UK. Using longitudinal data, it finds that men transition more often into high-skill flexi-time roles with small penalties, while women disproportionately enter low-skill term-time roles with large penalties, reinforcing wage inequality. The third chapter studies fertility decisions in Australia through intra-household bargaining. Using HILDA data, it shows that both tangible and intangible bargaining power shape fertility timing, though deviations occur among career-oriented and norm-conforming women.