Cognitive Skills and Employment Status: Is There a Gender Difference?

Kartal N. B., Aksoy T.

Ekonomi-tek (Online), cilt.14, sa.2, ss.291-321, 2025 (TRDizin) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Dergi Adı: Ekonomi-tek (Online)
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.291-321
  • Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This paper examines the gender differences in the association between cognitive skills and employment status. Using data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) spanning 2003–2019, we measure cognitive skills through the Symbol Digit Test (SDT), administered in three waves and assumed to be time-invariant. Our findings reveal a prominent and statistically significant positive relationship between cognitive skills and employment probability, with considerable gender disparities. In particular, the returns to cognitive skills are consistently higher for men. These results remain robust across different estimation methods and hold when considering both time-invariant and time- variant cognitive skills. We explore potential mechanisms driving these patterns, including social norms and individual heterogeneity.