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Still a man’s world? Gender inequalities, parenthood and the workplace

Published on 23 August 2023

We ask why the gender pay gap opens up, whether things have improved in recent years, and talk about one key factor affecting women’s pay - kids.

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Over the past decades, women have drawn closer to men in a variety of areas - education, university degrees and workforce participation. But, women still earn less on average than men.

In this episode, we ask why this pay gap opens up, whether things have improved in recent years, and talk about one key factor affecting women’s pay - kids.

Joining us are Alison Andrew, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford, Christine Farquharson, Senior Research Economist at IFS and Lucinda Platt, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at the LSE.

Zooming In: discussion questions

Every week, we share a set of questions designed for A Level economics students to discuss, written by teacher Will Haines.

  1. How do the percentage of woman and men who work for pay in heterosexual partnerships change after the birth of their first child?
  2. Analyse the potential macroeconomic impacts of subsidising childcare.
  3. Assess the view that childcare reforms will pay for themselves.