The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation
Abstract The gig economy, fundamentally relying on the digital economy, is often celebrated for its potential to expand employment opportunities and close gender wage gaps. However, research on its gender impacts in China, the largest developing country with a rapidly expanding gig sector, is notabl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04172-1 |
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| _version_ | 1832585985291976704 |
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| author | Jiachen Han Mingming Li Shi Li Yingying Hu |
| author_facet | Jiachen Han Mingming Li Shi Li Yingying Hu |
| author_sort | Jiachen Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The gig economy, fundamentally relying on the digital economy, is often celebrated for its potential to expand employment opportunities and close gender wage gaps. However, research on its gender impacts in China, the largest developing country with a rapidly expanding gig sector, is notably lacking. Employing discrimination theory, the findings challenge the prevailing optimistic view on the role of the gig economy. Utilising the China Labour Dynamics Survey data from 2014, 2016, and 2018, and applying the Bourguignon, Fournier, and Gurgand model to correct selection bias, this study reveals that, digitalisation has exacerbated gender wage gaps, with the wage growth of female gig workers significantly lagging behind their male counterparts, especially among married and older cohorts. Adopting the Neumark decomposition, the analysis confirms that discrimination largely accounts for this gap. This study uses Generalised Propensity Score Matching as robustness test and concludes with policy recommendations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4f60fb0b38ed41488459a09a7763ef9d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-4f60fb0b38ed41488459a09a7763ef9d2025-01-26T12:20:18ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922024-12-0111111610.1057/s41599-024-04172-1The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisationJiachen Han0Mingming Li1Shi Li2Yingying Hu3Department of Social Security and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang UniversityInstitute for Common Prosperity and Development, Zhejiang UniversityDepartment of Social Security and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang UniversityDepartment of Social Security and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang UniversityAbstract The gig economy, fundamentally relying on the digital economy, is often celebrated for its potential to expand employment opportunities and close gender wage gaps. However, research on its gender impacts in China, the largest developing country with a rapidly expanding gig sector, is notably lacking. Employing discrimination theory, the findings challenge the prevailing optimistic view on the role of the gig economy. Utilising the China Labour Dynamics Survey data from 2014, 2016, and 2018, and applying the Bourguignon, Fournier, and Gurgand model to correct selection bias, this study reveals that, digitalisation has exacerbated gender wage gaps, with the wage growth of female gig workers significantly lagging behind their male counterparts, especially among married and older cohorts. Adopting the Neumark decomposition, the analysis confirms that discrimination largely accounts for this gap. This study uses Generalised Propensity Score Matching as robustness test and concludes with policy recommendations.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04172-1 |
| spellingShingle | Jiachen Han Mingming Li Shi Li Yingying Hu The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation |
| title_full | The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation |
| title_fullStr | The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation |
| title_short | The widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in China: the impact of digitalisation |
| title_sort | widening gender wage gap in the gig economy in china the impact of digitalisation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04172-1 |
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