Assignment Question
You are working as an economics consultant and have been invited to write an essay that answers the followig question: How might policies on increasing pay transparency or childcare help to reduce the gap?. Make sure that you explain your answer in full using both economic theory from the module and the related articles for the question. Question 2 Economics and Society Given the evidence from the articles referenced below and based on your understanding of economics from this module, discuss the sources of gender pay gap. How might policies on increasing pay transparency or childcare help to reduce the gap? 1400 words Related articles Andrew, A., Bandiera, O., Costa-Dias, M. and Landais, C. (2021) Women and men at work, IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities. (Article Attached) Bawden, A. (2021), UK gender pay gap unaffected by government policy over past 25 years The Guardian, December 6. (Article Attached) Thomas, D., Elliott, O. and Clark, D. (2021) UK gender pay gap widens despite pressure on business
to improve, Financial Times, October 6. (Article Attached) Related articles and the relevant course chapters (economic theories) are attached. Student Guidance The question invites you to discuss the economic theories that seek to explain the differences in pay received by men and women. It also invites you to consider whether policy interventions, such as policies on childcare or requirements for firms to publish gender pay gap figures and pay transparency, might be effective in helping to create more equality of pay between genders. The gender pay gap is discussed in the articles, and some possible causal mechanisms for it are discussed in Chapter 15 on wage determination. Chapters 3 and 4 also contain material that helps to explain apparent pay gaps between genders, and you might find some of the material helpful in considering how persistent such gaps are likely to be. Finally, you may wish to consider whether there are any modifications to policies that could make them more effective contributors to gender equality of pay.