Women have much higher sickness absence rates than men. One prominent hypothesis is that this is a result of gender segregation in the labour market and the differences in employment or working conditions that follow from this. Previous studies assessing this idea give mixed results, but they do not take into account the possibility of selection effects. Long-term health differences between individuals may for instance influence both what jobs people end up in and their levels of sickness absence. In this paper we provide new evidence on employment and working conditions as a cause of gender differences in sickness absence. We use individual fixed effect models to account for selection based on stable individual characteristics. Like several previous studies we find a U-shaped relationship with high absence in both male-and female-dominated occupations. However, the fixed effect models show that this relationship is primarily caused by over-representation of absenceprone individuals in female-dominated occupations. Accounting for selection, the association between the proportion of women in the occupation and sickness absence is negative. As far as sickness absence is concerned, the gender segregation in the labour market thus seems to work to the advantage of women.
The proportion of female individuals at workplaces is positively associated with sickness absence rates during pregnancy this association is not likely explained by occupational nor individual characteristics the results are consistent with absence culture theory and more lenient norms concerning sickness absence during pregnancy at female-dominated workplaces.
This study analyses the association between the gender of managers and sickness absence in workplaces. It uses Norwegian administrative register data which are broadly representative of the private workforce. Previous research argues that the gender of managers affects a range of outcomes related to performance and productivity, but sickness absence has received limited attention. The analyses indicate a positive relationship between female managers and sickness absence rates. The results are in line with theories of a more lenient absence culture at workplaces managed by women. Melsom is a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Oslo and senior adviser at the Norwegian Tax Administration. Her main research interests include labor market issues, sickness absence, and social stratification. She is currently studying how gender segregation in the labor market influence sickness absence patterns among men and women.
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