Inge Noback

Gender-Specific Spatial Interactions on Dutch Regional Labour Markets and the Gender Employment Gap

Noback I., Broersma L. and van Dijk J. Gender-specific spatial interactions on Dutch regional labour markets and the gender employment gap, Regional Studies. This paper analyses gender-specific employment rates and the gender employment gap in Dutch municipalities for 2002. The novelty of this analysis is that it takes into account the extent to which gender-specific education, income, and unemployment influence the male and female employment rates and gender gap. Men and women often do not compete for the same jobs, but rather it is found that high male unemployment has an indirect, positive significant effect on female employment rates. The gender employment gap narrows with female education and in urban areas and it widens with the care-prone age composition of the municipal population.

Local social engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness in the Netherlands: which effects matter and for whom?

Abstract This paper examines to what extent, and for whom, different geographical characteristics affect the levels of local social engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness in the Netherlands. We employ a uniquely detailed dataset of individuals in Dutch neighbourhoods and municipalities, which is examined using a multilevel hierarchical model with spatial interaction effects. The analysis shows that living in a neighbourhood with a high ethnic concentration and low economic development has negative consequences for actual engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness. However, this effect is more relevant for natives than for immigrants (ie, Turks, Moroccans, Surinamese, and Antilleans). In addition, we4 find no evidence that the relationship between locality and engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness varies between first-generation and second-generation immigrants.

Climbing the Ladder: Gender-Specific Career Advancement in Financial Services and the Influence of Flexible Work-Time Arrangements

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the gender-specific career advancement of about 10,000 middle- and top-level managers in a Dutch financial services company. Our results indicate that women earn less, work at lower job levels, but show slightly higher career mobility than men. However, working a compressed four-day nine-hours-a-day workweek turns out to be favourable for women who are ‘rewarded’ for working full time, whereas men are ‘penalized’ for not working five days a week. Introducing this form of flexibility into a predominantly masculine organizational culture offers new opportunities for career advancement, albeit solely for women.

The Impact of Ageing on Welfare and Labour Productivity: An Econometric Analysis for the Netherlands

Ageing attracts ever-increasing attention because it has many implications for welfare and society and is an important subject for policymakers. This chapter focuses on ageing effects on welfare and labour supply. How can a falling labour supply be compensated for while welfare is maintained? In principle, there are five possible ways: (i) increase the retirement age; (ii) increase the annual number of working hours; (iii) increase labour productivity; (iv) increase net labour participation; and/or (v) optimise the spatial allocation of productive activities and jobs. This chapter focuses on growing labour productivity as a means to counteract the adverse effects of ageing using a new and unique micro-level dataset for the Netherlands.

Climbing the Ladder: Gender-Specific Career Advancement in Financial Services and the Influence of Flexible Work-Time Arrangements: Climbing the Ladder

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the gender-specific career advancement of about 10,000 middle- and top-level managers in a Dutch financial services company. Our results indicate that women earn less, work at lower job levels, but show slightly higher career mobility than men. However, working a compressed four-day nine-hours-a-day workweek turns out to be favourable for women who are ‘rewarded’ for working full time, whereas men are ‘penalized’ for not working five days a week. Introducing this form of flexibility into a predominantly masculine organizational culture offers new opportunities for career advancement, albeit solely for women.

Gender-specific dynamics in hours worked : Exploring the potential for increasing hours worked in an ageing society

The Dutch labour market differs from that of other countries due to a unique combination of high employment rates and a low average number of hours worked. Dutch employment rates are among the highest in the world, at 77 per cent in 2011. At the same time, the average number of hours worked annually per employed person is one of the lowest, at 1377 hours in 2011. The OECD average for these variables in 2011 was 65 per cent and 1750 hours, respectively (OECD, 2012). Like many other countries, the Netherlands faces a decline in the working-age population as a result of ageing and declining birth rates. The implications of these phenomena pose a serious threat to the current welfare level, but given the unique situation of the Dutch labour market, increasing the total number of hours worked seems to be an obvious solution to maintaining the level of per capita wealth. However, low working hours might be difficult to change, due to established preferences of employees. The aim of this study is to explore the possibilities for increasing the number of hours worked by workers currently active in the labour market. The low average number of hours worked in the Netherlands is the result of a high proportion of part-time employment, along with an autonomous downward trend in the total number of hours worked (Statistics Netherlands, 2011).

Climbing the ladder

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the gender-specific career advancement of about 10,000 middle- and top-level managers in a Dutch financial services company. Our results indicate that women earn less, work at lower job levels, but show slightly higher career mobility than men. However, working a compressed four-day nine-hours-a-day workweek turns out to be favourable for women who are ‘rewarded’ for working full time, whereas men are ‘penalized’ for not working five days a week. Introducing this form of flexibility into a predominantly masculine organizational culture offers new opportunities for career advancement, albeit solely for women.