The Gender Employment Gap among Refugees and the Role of Employer Discrimination: Experimental Evidence from the German, Swedish and Austrian Labor Markets

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_FB7C38BF6990
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The Gender Employment Gap among Refugees and the Role of Employer Discrimination: Experimental Evidence from the German, Swedish and Austrian Labor Markets
Journal
International Migration Review
Author(s)
Fossati Flavia, Knotz Carlo, Liechti Fabienne, Otmani Ihssane
ISSN
0197-9183
1747-7379
Publication state
Published
Issued date
12/12/2022
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Pages
019791832211342
Language
english
Abstract
Compared to their male counterparts, refugee women exhibit low employment rates in many countries. Discrimination by recruiters could possibly explain this phenomenon, but thus far, there is little direct evidence on this. This study addresses this gap. We develop a set of hypotheses about the effects of gender and family status on refugees’ labor market integration, and then test these hypotheses using data from an original survey experiment administered in 2019 to online panels of recruiters in three major refugee-receiving countries (Germany, Austria, and Sweden). We find that recruiters indeed prefer female over male refugees across different job types, all else equal. However, we also find evidence of a disadvantage connected with motherhood among refugees. Overall, our findings raise doubts about the relevance of discrimination as an explanation for the observed employment gap between male and female refugees.
Keywords
Refugees, gender, discrimination, inequality, employers
Open Access
Yes
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation / Programmes / 51NF40-182897
Create date
13/12/2022 15:36
Last modification date
06/11/2023 8:10
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