Despite progress over the past decades, significant gender gaps in labor force participation, entrepreneurship, and access to economic opportunities persist across Europe and Central Asia. Women continue to face structural barriers, including unequal access to productive resources, discriminatory social norms, and unequal caregiving responsibilities. These disparities not only limit individual potential but also hinder broader economic growth and resilience. Addressing them requires evidence-based, context-specific solutions.
To advance this agenda, this workshop aims to serve as a platform for evidence-based policy dialogue on strategies to foster women's economic empowerment, labor force participation, and entrepreneurship. The invitation-only event is organized by the World Bank, in collaboration with the Axa Gender Lab at Bocconi University, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF), and LABOUR: Review of Labor Economics and Industrial Relations.
- Overview
- Agenda
Workshop Dates: May 15-16, 2025
Workshop Venue: Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF), Via Sallustiana, 62, 00187, Rome, Italy
| DAY 1 - Thursday, May 15 | |
| 10:10-10:30 | Changing the Board Game: Horizontal Spillovers of Gender Quotas Luigi Guiso, EIEF (with F. Schivardi and L. Zaccaria) [Presentation] |
| 10:30-10:50 | Gender Norms and Inefficient Reallocation of Resources Martina Uccioli, Nottingham U. |
| 10:50-11:10 | Sons of War: The Interplay between Conflict and Gender Norms Jessica Mancuso, Collegio Carlo Alberto (with G. Ferrero) [Presentation] |
| 11:10-11:20 | Coffee break |
| 11:20-11:40 | Working for Yourself or for Your Kids? Childcare Expansion Policy in Uzbekistan Dilnovoz Abdurazzakova, Central European U. (with C. Niu and A. Purevjav) [Presentation] |
| 11:40-12:00 | Preparatory School Years and Maternal Employment in Romania Monica Robayo-Abril, World Bank (with B. Rude) [Presentation] |
| 12:00-13:00 | Keynote Speech by Prof. Claudia Olivetti [Presentation] |
| 13:00-14:30 | Lunch break |
| 14:30-14:50 | Closing the Gender Gap in Pensions? Pension Accrual for Unpaid Care Work and Household Behavior after Retirement Qquillaccori Garcıa Lopez, NHH [Presentation] |
| 14:50-15:10 | Breaking the Divide: Can Public Spending on Social Infrastructure Boost Female Employment in Italy? Jelena Reljic, Sapienza U. (with F. Zezza) |
| 15:10-15:30 | The Origins of the Gender Pay Gap: Education and Job Characteristics Lucia Rizzica, Banca d’Italia (with G. Bovini and M. De Philippis) [Presentation] |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee break |
| 16:00-16:20 | Do Investments in Digital Infrastructure Advance Gender Parity: Evidence from Türkiye Banu Demir, Oxford U. and Bilkent U. (with A. Grover) |
| 16.20-16:40 | Intra-Household Decisions and Labor Market Outcomes – Evidence from Shared Parental Leave Joao Monteiro, EIEF (with A. Ferrara and M. V. Hampole) [Presentation] |
| DAY 2 - Friday, May 16 | |
| 09:30-09:50 | How Far Can Inclusion Go? The Long-Term Impacts of Preferential College Admissions Enrico Miglino, Banca d’Italia (with M. Carlana and M. M. Tincani) |
| 09:50-10:10 | The Aging Parent Penalty Across Countries Noa De La Vega, EUI (with S. Federman) [Presentation] |
| 10:10-10:30 | The Gender Gap in Employment Protection: The Role of Fertility and Statistical Discrimination Bernardo Fanfani, Turin U. (with Y. Brilli and D. Piazzalunga) [Presentation] |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00-11:20 | Closing the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship: Overcoming Challenges in Law and Practice for Female Entrepreneurs Daniela Behr, World Bank (with Y. Xi) [Presentation] |
| 11:20-11:40 | Breaking Barriers: Cultural Transmission and Women’s Economic Empowerment Murat Guray Kirdar, Koç U. (with M. Akbulut-Yuksel, A. B. Aydemir, and B. Turan) |
| 11:40-12:00 | Motherhood and Women’s Labor Market Trajectories in Türkiye Elizaveta Perova, World Bank (with J. Baez, S. Garriga, and M. Tyurkileri) [Presentation] |
| 12:00-13:30 | Lunch break |
| 13:30-13:50 | The Evolution of Hours Worked and the Gender Wage Gap: Theory and Evidence from Four Countries Daniele Checchi, Milan U. (with D. Kreisman and C. Garcia-Penalosa) |
| 13:50-14:10 | Gender Differences in the Determinants of Young NEETs: Evidence from Albania Juna Miluka, UNYT (with M. Meurs) [Presentation] |
| 14:10-14:30 | Countercyclical Fiscal Policy, Women, and the Poor Shiyun Hu, World Bank (with Ž. Bogetić, D. Naeher, L. Zhao, and Y. Zhao) [Presentation] |
| 14:30-15:00 | Coffee break |
| 15:00-15:20 | Gendered Impacts of Military Conflicts on Labor Migration from Central Asia Britta Rude, World Bank (with L. L. Y. Bossavie, C. Ozden, and L. Zhou) [Presentation] |
Poster Session 1
Self-Employed Mothers: Child Penalties, Maternity Benefits, and Family Health - Fabrizio Core, LUISS (with D. Karpati) [Poster]
Daddy’s Home? Paternity Leave and Female Labor Market Outcomes - Jenny Peters, Edinburgh U.
Gender Norms and Parental Leave - Luisa Carrer, ESCP Business School and Lorenzo De Masi, Bank of Italy [Poster]
The Geography of Jobs and Couple Migration - Olatz Román Blanco, EUI [Poster]
Does Earlier Return to Work Help Mothers’ Career? Evidence via the Substitution Effect of Parental Leave - Lili Márk, Central European U. (with A. Bíró, T. L. Molnar, and Z. Pálvölgyi) [Poster]
When Schools Close: The Gendered Impact on Parental Labor Supply - Mariana Esteves, Nova U. (with B. Carvalho, I. Duarte and S. Peralta) [Poster]
Cultural Gender Norms and Occupational Choice - Natalie Irmert, Lund U.
Gender Gap in the Choice of Economics: Content, Information, and Stereotypes - Marta Martínez-Matute, U. Autónoma de Madrid [Poster]
Female Representation in Entrepreneurship: Role of Early Exposure - Viola Salvestrini, Bocconi U. (with M. Mertz and M. Ronchi) [Poster]
Poster Session 2
Financial Aspects Count As Well: the Relationship Between Social Desirability of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Their Motivation and Business Success - Danijela Stošić Panić, Niš U. and Aleksandra Janeska-Iliev, Ss.Cyril and Methodius U. [Poster]
The Entrepreneurial Gender Gap: The Role of Motherhood - Ashley Wong, Tilburg U. (with M. Ferrando, F. Truffa and T. Tsankova) [Poster]
Can Female Directors Shrink the Gender Gap? Evidence from France - Louise Paul-Delvaux, World Bank (with F. X. Ladant) [Poster]
Does Exposure to Female STEM Professionals Reduce the Gender Gap? - Justus Bamert, ETH [Poster]
Beyond Social Mobility – The Gender-Class Pay Gap - David Wittekopf, EUI (with R. Kind) [Poster]
The Hidden Half of Success: How Including Family Life in Career Narratives Shapes Students’ Aspirations - Dilnovoz Abdurazzakova, Central European U.
Bella Ciao! The Political Legacy of Women in the Italian Resistance - Carmela Accettura, Carlos III Madrid U. [Poster]
The Intersection of Gender Data Gaps and AI: Redefining Future Workplace - Azra Bećirović, Agency for Statistics of BiH [Poster]
The Tied-Mover Penalty and the Gender Earnings Gap - Francesca Verga, DIW Berlin/FU Berlin (with C. Schluter and C. Schroder) [Poster]
Date: May 15 - 16, 2025 ET
Location: Rome, Italy