D4 Published development or research report or study

Gender, Education, and Work: Labour Market Outcomes in Care and Non-Care Fields in Italy and Finland




AuthorsKulić, Nevena; Prix, Irene; Galos, Diana Roxana

Publication year2025

Series titleINVEST Working Papers

Number in series139

ISSN2737-0534

eISSN2737 - 0534

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/ptxka_v1

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/ptxka_v1


Abstract

A substantial body of research indicates that graduates’ field of study is a key predictor of the gender wage gap. While previous studies often compare groups based on women's minority status in a given field, we reframe this by distinguishing between care and non-care fields—defined by their links to stereotypically feminized characteristics. Using administrative data from Italy and Finland, we firstly investigate whether gender gaps in wages and other significant aspects of jobs differ between graduates of care- and non-care related fields of study. Second, adopting a comparative perspective, we further examine whether these gender gaps vary between Italy and Finland, two countries with different levels of gender inequality. Findings support the gender comparative advantage argument that women experience smaller gaps in outcomes when graduating from care-oriented fields than other fields, narrowing disparities in employment, wages, and job authority, and eliminating gender disparities in access to high-service occupations. Analyses are broadly consistent across Italy and Finland, suggesting limited cross-country variation in gender gaps in outcomes when comparing care and non-care fields.


Funding information in the publication
Nevena Kulić’s contribution was partially supported by an individual fellowship from the Cluster
“Politics of Inequality, University of Konstanz. Irene Prix’s contribution was supported by the
INVEST Research Flagship Centre funded by the Research Council of Finland (decision number: 345546)


Last updated on 2025-17-11 at 12:35