Barriers to Entry: Decomposing the Gender Gap in Job Search in Urban Pakistan

Abstract

Gender gaps in labor market outcomes persist in South Asia. An open question is whether supply or demand side constraints play a larger role. We investigate this using matched data from three sources in Lahore, Pakistan: representative samples of jobseekers and employers; administrative data from a job matching platform; and an incentivized resume rating experiment. Employers’ gender restrictions are a larger constraint on women’s job opportunities than supply-side decisions. At higher levels of education, demand-side barriers relax, allowing women to qualify for more jobs but at lower salaries. On the supply side, educated women become more selective in their search.

Keywords: gender, discrimination, job search, jobs platform, vacancies, applications

JEL Classification: J16, J22, J23, R23