Workforce Reductions at Women-Owned Businesses in the United States

Posted: 18 Apr 2014

See all articles by David A. Matsa

David A. Matsa

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Amalia R. Miller

University of Virginia - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 1, 2014

Abstract

The authors find that privately held firms owned by women were less likely than those owned by men to downsize their workforces during the Great Recession. Year-to-year employment reductions were as much as 29% smaller at women-owned firms, even after controlling for industry, size, and profitability. Using data that allow the authors to control for additional detailed firm and owner characteristics, they also find that women-owned firms operated with greater labor intensity after the previous recession and were less likely to hire temporary or leased workers. These patterns extend previous findings associating female business leadership with increased labor hoarding.

Keywords: gender, female business leaders, workforce reductions, labor hoarding, business values

JEL Classification: J16, J63

Suggested Citation

Matsa, David A. and Miller, Amalia R., Workforce Reductions at Women-Owned Businesses in the United States (April 1, 2014). Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 67, No. 2, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2425739

David A. Matsa (Contact Author)

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management ( email )

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Amalia R. Miller

University of Virginia - Department of Economics ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://people.virginia.edu/~am5by/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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