Doctoral Dissertation Research: Overwork and Labor Market Outcomes

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

PI and Co-PI: Kim Weeden and Youngjoo Cha Title: Overwork and Labor Market Outcomes Cornell University SES - 0824682 Abstract This project examines the effect of long work hours (?overwork?) on gender inequality in the U.S. labor market. Overwork is increasingly common as an established norm in the workplace, especially in high-skilled jobs. Those who work long hours are perceived to be more committed to their jobs and rewarded by higher income and more frequent promotions, while those who work fewer hours are penalized for being less committed to their jobs. This project seeks to identify whether this overwork phenomenon systematically disadvantages women, who are less likely to work longer hours because of the normative expectation that they will have more caregiving responsibilities than men. To this end, this research will use longitudinal data drawn from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and a cross sectional dataset drawn from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The project will employ quantitative methods to conduct three empirical analyses that assess whether spousal overwork affects men and women?s employment differently; whether overwork affects women?s occupational mobility; and whether overwork exacerbates the gender gap in earnings. This study will help us to understand whether gender inequality in various arenas perpetuates through the interaction between the gendered workplace and deeply engrained gendered norms in the family. This will shed light on sources of occupational sex segregation. By examining the gendered consequences of the overwork phenomenon, this study will contribute to identifying whether discriminatory factors are hidden in the overwork culture, an issue that connects to women?s status in the labor market.