Selected work in progress

Gender and Economics 

The Economics of Gender Transitions in Sweden. Joint with Ian Burn, Ylva Moberg, and Lucas Tilley

The transgender population in Sweden has drastically increased in the past decade. In 2004, about 700 individuals had received a gender dysphoria diagnosis in Sweden, with that number growing to over 6,000 in 2018. Despite being one of the most vulnerable groups in society, there is little research on the living conditions of transgender individuals. Previous research mostly relies on small-scale qualitative interviews or surveys and cannot provide a representative picture of the transgender community. Our project leverages high-quality register data from Sweden and investigates the interplay between labor market and health outcomes, as well as the effect of policy for transgender individuals. The project studied all adults who have received gender-affirming care in Sweden through 2018. This is a subset of the true transgender population since not all transgender individuals seek care, but it is the most significant representative sample of transgender individuals in the literature. Comparisons will be made to a properly matched sample of non-transgender people. 

Networks and relational gender inequalities within organizations. Joint with Nina Smith

Policies aimed at promoting gender equality in organizations often target the top decision-making body, assuming that gender diversity will trickle down to lower levels. While evidence generally shows that increasing women’s representation at the top reduces gender gaps, little is known about how women’s social capital on boards affects gender disparities within organizations. Using employer–employee–director data covering all Danish private sector firms from 1995 to 2018, this paper shows that director networks influence gender gaps among executives, with effects varying by gender. Direct connections between women and men directors and women who later become executives help reduce internal gender inequalities, but these spillovers are insufficient to produce lasting change.

Cascading sideways: Gender inequalities within firms for a country with a quota and one without. Joint with Astrid Kuntze and Nina Smith 

Gender quotas on corporate boards are common as a means to advance gender equality, but they seem to generate limited spillovers within firms. We investigate whether gender quotas have horizontal spillover effects on gender diversity in neighboring countries. Using the Norwegian board quota as a starting point, we compare the development of gender diversity within Norway and Denmark. We find an increase in women on Danish boards starting two years after the binding quota in Norway, but there are no spillover effects on top executives. 

The gender gap in the lifetime labor earnings premium from family wealth. Joint  with Mahmood Arai and Michael Lundholm

Family wealth facilitates investments in skills and provides access to environments marked by shared social norms and gender stereotypes. Using manually collected data on inheritance as a measure of family wealth, along with Swedish national administrative data on lifetime labor earnings, we find a premium in lifetime labor earnings associated with family wealth, which is higher for men than for women. Women’s premium translates into higher returns to education, but men enjoy a significant additional premium beyond this route. The gender gap in the lifetime earnings premium linked to family wealth is most evident in the top of the wealth distribution. These findings suggest that wealthy families uphold strong gender norms