Strong Men at Work
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Series
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Speaker(s)Oskar Nordstrom Skans (Uppsala University, Sweden)
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FieldEmpirical Microeconomics
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LocationTinbergen Institute Amsterdam, room 1.01
Amsterdam -
Date and time
December 03, 2024
15:30 - 16:30
Abstract
Men and women are segregated in the labor market, and men tend to have greater physical strength than women. Using population-wide data on male strength, as measured at the Swedish military conscription at age 18, we document a clear link between these two phenomena: physically stronger men work in occupations, industries, firms, and jobs with fewer women. At the same time, p hysical strength is completely unrelated to key labor market outcomes such as employment, wages, or firm quality. Furthermore, the desegregation of the labor market is significantly slower for stronger men. Overall, our results suggest that non-pecuniary motives is the key explanation for why stronger men select into professional contexts where women are underrepresented. Joint work with Christoph Hedtrich and Georg Graetz.