Egypt Labour Market Discrimination Audit Study 2023 (LMD Audit Study) - Egypt, Arab Rep.

Abstract --------------------------- Egypt's labor market is highly segmented, with women concentrated in specific occupations (Assaad, Krafft, Rahman, & Selwaness, 2019; El-Hamidi & Said, 2014). In the private sector, women typically earn less than men, even after accounting for differences in their characteristics (El-Hamidi & Said, 2014; Said, Galal, & Sami, 2022). This wage differential is often interpreted as a sign of discrimination against women but could also be driven by unobserved characteristics of women or selection into specific jobs. Norms that prioritize jobs for men over women, when jobs are scarce (Keo, Krafft, & Fedi, 2022), may also lead to employer discrimination in challenging economic times. Egyptian women frequently work in the private sector in advance of marriage and leave private sector work at marriage (Assaad, Krafft, & Selwaness, 2022; Krafft, Assaad, & Keo, 2022; Selwaness & Krafft, 2021). The degree to which exits are driven by women choosing to leave work versus employer discrimination against married women are unknown but have very different implications for interventions to improve women's employment. Generally, understanding the role of employer discrimination and the labor demand side of the market in Egyptian women's low and declining employment rates is a critical but under-researched area. There has been little research on employer discrimination and its impact on hiring in Egypt. This research is Egypt's first audit (correspondence) study, randomizing the gender and marital status on applications and resumes in order to assess the degree of employer discrimination against women in Egypt. =================================================================================== For more details please see: Krafft C., (2023). Do Employers Discriminate Against Married Women? Evidence from A Field Experiment in Egypt. International Labor Organization and Economic Research Forum, SWP 2023_1. https://erf.org.eg/publications/do-employers-discriminate-against-married-women-evidence-from-a-field-experiment-in-egypt/ =================================================================================== Geographic coverage --------------------------- We randomly sampled the job postings from a range of 13 online job platforms. These online platforms posted jobs available in Egypt. These 13 online platforms were the most commonly used in Egypt with enough details on the job postings. We de-duplicated postings that we found on multiple sites. Analysis unit --------------------------- Individual-job posting level. There are four individual observations for each job posting - one single man, one single woman, one married man, one married woman. Universe --------------------------- The number of jobs taken from each website was proportional to the number of jobs on the website posted on that day. Different percentages from each platform were calculated depending on the number of jobs posted daily, and we used those percentages to create the weight variables. Kind of data --------------------------- Clinical data [cli] Sampling procedure --------------------------- Sampling and weights documents: Since this is an experiment an alternative will be information about the experiment design, number of vacancies and applications (expired not expired) for example and number of responses. - Experiment design: This audit study randomized the following characteristics of applicants: Gender (male/female) & Marital status (unmarried/married) We collected data on the occupations, industries, and educational requirements of jobs. For positions on websites that required a login and profile, first, we tried to locate the job elsewhere (e.g. on another job search website that does not require a profile, on the employer's website or elsewhere). Second, we tried to find an email for HR to send the resume. If we could not find the job anywhere that does not require a profile and cannot find an email for HR, we recorded the job characteristics, this outcome, and moved to the next position. Four resumes (one single male; one single female; one married male; one married female) were randomly generated that match the position requirements, but with the specifics randomly different (e.g. name, university attended, etc.). In order to have a manageable number of phones to answer by name, we used only sixteen first names (four for each identity combination). We selected eight common male and eight common female first names (no names that are common for both men and women). Common last names were also selected. First names were randomized across marital statuses and last names across sex and marital status. Resumes included photos. We used artificially generated (composite) photos. Women were shown wearing the hijab (photoshopped onto the generated pictures), since 95% of women aged 15-29 in Egypt wear the hijab (Population Council, 2011). Within gender, photos were randomized in creating resumes. We carefully matched the photos across gender in terms of similar apparent age, skin tone, etc., to avoid any confounders. Photos have neutral backgrounds and avoid any markers of socioeconomic status as much as possible (e.g. in hairstyle or dress). Photos were selected to plausibly cover ages 18-29. The resumes were designed to be well-qualified for the positions in order to maximize the power of the experiment and the chances of callback (and thus be better able to assess discrimination). The resumes were sent from corresponding email addresses and with specific phone numbers for the randomly generated identity. Mode of data collection --------------------------- Job Posting information are gathered online. Employers' responses are recorded by phone and by email