The Gender Gap in Income and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Karina Doorley, Cathal O’Donoghue, Denisa Sologon

Research output: Working paper

Abstract

The gender income gap is large and well documented for many countries. Recent research shows that it is mainly driven by differences in working patterns between men and women, but also by wage differences. The tax-benefit system cushions the gender income gap by redistributing between men and women. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented levels of unemployment in 2020 in many countries, with some suggestion that men and women have been differently affected. This research investigates the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the gender gap in income in Ireland. Using nowcasting techniques and microsimulation, we model the effect of pandemic induced employment
and wage changes on market and disposable income. We show how the pandemic and the associated tax-benefit support can be expected to change the income gap between men and women. Policy conclusions are drawn about future redistribution between men and women.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationBonn
PublisherIZA – Institute of Labor Economics
Number of pages32
VolumeIZA DP No. 14360
Publication statusPublished - May 2021

Publication series

NameIZA Discussion Papers Series
PublisherIZA – Institute of Labor Economics
No.14360
ISSN (Electronic)2365-9793

Keywords

  • gender inequality
  • Ireland
  • tax-benefit system
  • COVID-19

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