Séminaire Macro
12h15 – 13h30
28  septembre 2026

Salle 3001

Christian HELLWIG (TSE) “Home Bias and the Gender Wage Gap”

Summary:

We study how gender differences in locational preferences, in particular attachment to their home location, in combination with monopsony power in labor markets, contribute to the gender wage gap. We document that women—particularly married women mothers— are more likely than men to return to their birthplace. Using cross-market variation in the share of local-born workers, we show that wages and earnings are higher in markets experiencing more immigration.

We develop a model with gender-specific location preferences and firm labor market power to rationalize these patterns. Stronger home attachment reduces women’s outside options, worsens their sorting efficiency and increases their exposure to monopsony. Preliminary counterfactuals indicate that home bias and monopsony power combined account for a large share of observed gender wage and earnings gaps.

Joint work : Miren Azkarate-Askasua (Mannheim), Miguel Zerecero, (UC Irvine)