Gender Differences in Departure from a Large Firm

41 Pages Posted: 10 Jan 2007 Last revised: 13 Mar 2022

See all articles by Nachum Sicherman

Nachum Sicherman

Columbia University; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 1993

Abstract

Looking at the personnel records of workers in a large company, where detailed reasons for worker departure are recorded, I find striking differences in the exit patterns between men and women. As is well known, a higher proportion of women leave for a variety of non-market reasons. Further, women state more often that wages, and not opportunities, as a reason for switching jobs. Women, on average, are more likely to leave the firm. This is specially true in periods of early tenure. For both men and women, the likelihood of departure increases in the first two months of tenure, and then declines at a decreasing rate. This decline is stronger for women. Using a proportional hazard model, with controls for observed characteristics, I find that tenure beyond five years, women are less likely to leave the firm than men. Tenure turnover profiles are computed for the different reasons of departure. This detailed breakdown provides additional insights into gender differences in quit behavior.

Suggested Citation

Sicherman, Nachum, Gender Differences in Departure from a Large Firm (February 1993). NBER Working Paper No. w4279, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=478716

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