Closing the Gaps: The Role of Screening Questions and Self-Reporting in Measuring Women's and Youths’ Employment and Work

43 Pages Posted: 12 Nov 2024

See all articles by Ivette Contreras

Ivette Contreras

World Bank

Lelys Dinarte

World Bank

Amparo Palacios-Lopez

World Bank

Valentina Costa

World Bank - Development Research Group

Steffanny Romero

World Bank

Abstract

This study examines whether alternative survey methods can mitigate the underreporting of women’s and youths’ labor market outcomes, thereby enhancing the accuracy of gender- and age-based gap measurements. By conducting a survey experiment, we compare two methods—including a list of activities survey module and enforcing self-responses—with the standard labor module used in household surveys that relies on proxy responses. Results indicate that the list of activities module increases reported work and employment and reduced the gender gaps by 8.2 percentage points. Enforced self-responses similarly decrease age gaps in male employment and work by 13.9 and 12.3 percentage points.

Keywords: labor gender gaps measurement, labor age gaps measurement, survey methods, informality

Suggested Citation

Contreras, Ivette and Dinarte, Lelys and Palacios-Lopez, Amparo and Costa, Valentina and Romero, Steffanny, Closing the Gaps: The Role of Screening Questions and Self-Reporting in Measuring Women's and Youths’ Employment and Work. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5017610 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5017610

Ivette Contreras

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Lelys Dinarte (Contact Author)

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Amparo Palacios-Lopez

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Valentina Costa

World Bank - Development Research Group ( email )

Washington, DC 20433
United States

Steffanny Romero

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

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