Comparative Methods in Research on Gender

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Comparative Methods in Research on Gender

• Wendy Sigle-Rushton
• ESRC Methods Festival
• 2 July 2008
• St. Catherines College, Oxford

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Comparative Methods

• Why compare
• What to compare
• How to compare
• Benefits of comparison
• Caveats

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Why compare

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

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What to compare

• Comparisons across
• Countries
• Regions within countries (e.g. US States)
• Time

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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

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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

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How to compare

• Identify broad similarities and differences
• Exploit variation across space
• Simulations

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Benefits of comparison

• Common and dissimilar problems/patterns
• Quasi-natural experiment
• Inspire best practice
• Inspire and inform good measurement

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Caveats

• Reliance on similar, available measures
• Harmonisation
• Proxy variables
• Validity

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Occupational Segregation, 2000
Source OECD 2002
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Gender Wage Gap and Employment, 2000
Source OECD 2002
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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

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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

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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

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Example from my research on motherhood gaps in
earnings

• Using the regressions
• What the regressions show
• Average gross earnings
• What they dont show
• The reasons for the differences
• Economic well-being

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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 womens earnings in
  Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic
  countries. Feminist Economics 13(2) 55-92.