Is Equality Regulation Effective in Reducing Gender Gaps in the Labor Market? Quantification and Evidence for Spain
Working Paper Series no. 943. This article quantifies, through text analysis, when, at what rate and in what regions, Spanish administrations have adopted regulations aimed at achieving gender equality, improving work-life balance or combating harassment. The study covers the period 1996-2022, identifying both central government legislation and legislation in each of the regions. The analysis, therefore, organises the information in a panel format. The indicators reveal the high degree of heterogeneity in terms of the legislation in the various related areas, with non-discrimination legislation being the most developed and frequent. They also reveal differences between regions, with Andalusia and Catalonia being those in which most legislation has been adopted. The database is then used to investigate the relationship between legislative changes and labour market inflows for women in Spain. Our correlation analysis exhibits a positive relationship between the volume of legislation passed in the areas of interest, such as non-discrimination policies, and indicators of both employment and female labour force participation.
Public policies that aim to achieve gender equality, improve work-life balance or combat harassment may have economic consequences, for example, through changes in the labour supply of women or other groups. Although there may be an increase in social awareness of these problems, a separate question is whether this increase is reflected in specific legislation in a society.
The objective of this paper is to quantify, through text analysis, when, where and at what rate these social concerns have been translated into legislation in Spain. The study covers the period 1996-2022, identifying both central government legislation and legislation in each of the autonomous regions. The analysis, therefore, organises the information in a panel format.
Specifically, this article provides indicators for the following subjects: regulations related to the fight against discrimination, harassment or racism, regulations related to the achievement of gender equality and a better work-life balance, regulations related to childcare, the reduction of working hours for care, the introduction of teleworking, and to matters related to homosexuality and transsexuality.
The indicators reveal the high degree of heterogeneity in terms of the legislation in the various related areas. Non-discrimination legislation was the most developed and frequent, with 11,228 regional regulations and 2,590 central administration regulations adopted in the analysis period. They also reveal differences between autonomous regions, with Andalusia and Catalonia being those in which most legislation has been adopted.
As an example of an application of this analysis, the database is then used to investigate the relationship between legislative changes and labour market inflows for women (see Figure 1). Our correlation analysis shows a positive relationship between the volume of legislation passed in the areas of interest, such as non-discrimination policies, and indicators of both employment and female labour force participation. More precisely, the results for the female employment rate indicate that passing an additional anti-discrimination norm is associated with an average increase of 1 pp in the female employment rate.
Keywords: Regulation, Discrimination, Work-Life Balance, Labour Market.
JEL classification: K00, K36, K38.