Leader: Paola Profeta (Università Bocconi); Other collaborator(s): UNISR
This task analyzes the interactions between population aging and gender gaps and the pressures they create on public policy. The current trends of aging and gender equality are changing the labor force composition, by increasing the proportion of elderly workers and of women. In countries where women participate more in the labor market, fertility rates are higher: gender equality in the labor market may counterbalance the aging process. Aging and gender equality also interact in the private sphere, influencing family and intergenerational relationships: the aging process challenges the role of grandmothers as childcare providers and imposes a reconsideration of elderly women as care-receivers.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
From November 2023-March 2024 the groups have worked on data collection and analysis on the different projects. We have also advanced in the policy brief which collects policies targeting women and the elderly in European countries .
From March to December 2024, the group worked on multiple projects related to gender and ageing inequalities, studying political aspects and potential policy implications.
Brief description of the activities and the intermediate results
Implementation of two studies aimed at investigating gender disparities at older ages. The first explores whether women are more likely to retire because they have/want to provide care to relatives or friends and the economic consequences during retirement, the second is a survey that aims to detect gender and age preferences in Italian SMEs from a managerial perspective (demand side of the job market).
Main policy, industrial and research implication
Show that women are penalized in terms of informal caregiving services (they are more likely to provide daily or weekly informal care help). Show that informal care is an additional reason for women's lower pension income. Show that providing formal care services for the elderly (e.g.: higher numbers of nursing home beds) decreases the retirement care penalty for women. Study whether SMEs managers have age and gender preferences in the decision processes of task assignment and training choice.
From January to April 2025, the group focused on data analysis and collection of novel data, and is currently working on an update of the Italians' SME survey.
Brief description of the activities and the intermediate results
We submitted the working paper “Women's Caring Penalty at Retirement in Europe” to a top-field scientific journal. We obtain the results of the (first) SMEs survey and we are currently working on a second survey, also targeted to SMEs, but including a information treatment (experimental study).
Main policy, industrial and research implication
The results of the first survey show how managers prefer young employees over middle-age and older employees when they have to decide who should attend training programs. There is also a (lower and less significant) preference for women rather than men. We do not find any clear gender or age preference when managers should decide about assigning team members to specific (repetitive and easy, or creative and hard) tasks. The next steps include repeating the survey on a similar sample, focusing mainly on training choice of managers and using an info-treatment to promote training programs among the elder workers.
From April to October 2025, the group focused on the revision of the paper “Women's Caring Penalty at Retirement in Europe”, to be re-submitted soon, and the analysis of the new data obtained from the experimental study among SMEs' managers.
Brief description of the activities and the intermediate results
In June 2025, we received referee comments on our submission “Women's Caring Penalty at Retirement in Europe” to a leading field journal. During the same period, we completed the second wave of the SMEs survey and began analyzing the impact of the information treatment introduced in this round.
Main policy, industrial and research implication
Findings from the first survey indicate that managers tend to prefer younger employees over middle-aged and older ones when selecting participants for training programs. A weaker and less statistically significant preference for women over men is also observed. The second survey uses an information-treatment design aimed at fostering managers to involve more older employees in training programs by emphasizing the steadily increasing retirement age and the resulting extension of career trajectories beyond age 60.
Policy Brief on Gender Inequalities and Ageing in Europe
We produced a comprehensive policy brief analyzing the evolution of policies addressing gender inequalities in ageing. The report compares Italy with four key European nations—Germany, France, Spain, and Denmark—highlighting similarities, differences, and lessons learned from various policy approaches.
Development of a Novel Dataset on Ageing and Gender
A new dataset was created to systematically collect and analyze data on gender inequalities and ageing across the European Union. This dataset covers multiple dimensions, such as retirement age, gender-based employment patterns, and scores of discrimination from specialized organizations (e.g.: EIGE and Eurostat).
Research on the Retirement Care Penalty
We completed a working paper focusing on the “care penalty,” exploring its implications within the context of ageing and gender inequalities across Europe. This research is now available as a working paper and was disseminated through presentations at various academic conferences, ensuring visibility and engagement with the wider research community.
Survey on Age and Gender Preferences
We design a survey to collect information about the age and gender preferences of Italian SMEs managers in their everyday work activities. We use a survey agency to collect data and we just started the preliminary data analysis. The data, received at the beginning of January 2025, show that managers on Italian SMEs prefer young over old and mid-age workers when they have to invest in training programs.
Dissemination Events
Research Outputs
Revised&Resubmit Maura F., Profeta P., “Women's Caring Penalty at Retirement in Europe” (2024). SHARE Working Paper Series 95-2024, SHARE Berlin Institute, DOI: 10.6103/wp.952024, https://shar-eric.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/SHARE_Working_Paper/SHARE_WP_95-2024.pdf
Masi O., Maura F., Profeta P., “Age and Gender Discrimination in Job Opportunities”, mimeo 2025.