Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/246060 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 21-346
Publisher: 
W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI
Abstract: 
We develop a model of joint job search and occupational choice in which job opportunities can be incompatible inside the couple. Typically, incompatibilities may arise because jobs are not in the same location. We show that the existence of incompatible jobs pushes some couples to sacrifice the career of one partner. The model predicts occupational switches throughout the career and at the time of couple formation. Gendered equilibria, whereby all women (or men) choose the accommodating occupation, may arise. Any element of ex-ante unfavorable gender gaps - for instance, due to discrimination or norms - is amplified and can generate large systemic differences in gender composition between occupations.
Subjects: 
two-body problem
occupational specialization
career path
JEL: 
C78
D13
D83
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
726.95 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.