UNEQUAL ASSIGNMENT AND UNEQUAL PROMOTION IN JOB LADDERS

In this study gender differentials in professional status attainment a re analyzed. In the theoretical literature, unequal treatment of femal es is often rationalized by their higher probability of quitting. To t est this hypothesis empirically we use data from the Austrian microcen sus and find that neither the risk of childbearing nor different produ ctive characteristics can explain the crowding of females in lower hie rarchical positions. Females have to fulfill higher ability standards to be promoted; work experience is not rewarded in the same manner as it is for men.