Unintended Pathways: The Impact of High-Speed Rail on Gender Differences in the Local Labor Market - Evidence from South Korea
47 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2022
Date Written: April 11, 2022
Abstract
This paper examines the role of High-Speed Rail (HSR) in reducing the gender gap in labor market outcomes in South Korea. The country's notable gender disparity, coupled with the extensive HSR network starting from 2004 that connects Seoul metropolitan areas with non-Seoul regions, presents a distinctive setting for this study. Using a staggered difference-in-differences method, we evaluate HSR's impact on district-level outcomes from 2000 to 2015. The empirical analysis demonstrates that the gender employment gap in labor markets of non-Seoul (i.e., less developed) regions connected by HSR has diminished following the rail expansion. We provide empirical evidence that this decline is mainly due to the increased labor demand in local service sectors around the stations, which rely more on the movement of people and predominantly employ women. Additionally, we provide evidence that improved local amenities, particularly childcare services, may have facilitated women's labor force participation in non-Seoul areas. Our results highlight how infrastructure projects like HSR can inadvertently benefit certain demographics by reshaping the local labor market and urban structures.
Keywords: High Speed Rail, Gender Gap, Transportation, Local Labor Market
JEL Classification: R4; J16
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation