Sex Typing of Jobs in Hiring: Evidence from Japan

Using unique data on employers' pre-hire preferences, this article examines the effect of sex typing on the gender gap in offered wages and training. Previous studies using post-hire data have not been able to focus directly on the effects of employer behavior, distinct from employee preferences. By analyzing gender-designated job requisitions for the entry-level labor market in a Japanese city, this study investigates employers' pre-hire decisions about the wage level and on-the-job training that accompany the sex typing of jobs. Results show that employers' sex typing excludes women in advance from jobs that provide higher wages and longer training.