A comparative analysis of the difference in female employment between Spain and Portugal

Abstract

This study tries to explain why, according to official data, the female employment in Portugal is 9,4% higher when compared to Spain. Previous literature has found relevant drivers when analyzing employment gaps such as fertility and policies concerning fertility, part-time employment, inconsistency in educational attainment; and on a cross-country basis, cultural aspects such as attitudes towards the woman’s role in society. Although a substantial amount of research has been made, comparing the south with the north of Europe, there is a lack of literature on the comparison of the two Iberian countries. This study tries to fill this gap using data from the European Values Survey. It incorporates variables such as age, fertility, growing up with a working mother, education level, marital status, as well as attitudes towards female labor market activity, in a binary model in order to explain the probability of a woman working. Findings show that education, marital status, attitudes and having grown up in a household where the mother works may be important factors explaining this disparity in employment levels.

Date of Award	3 Nov 2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Miguel Gouveia (Supervisor)