Opt For Career Research Articles

Of housewives and feminists: Gender norms and intra-household division of labour

To investigate the role of gender norms in household specialisation choices, I conduct a lab experiment with real hetero-sexual couples playing a battle of the sexes game. The salience of gender norms varies across treatments: the Norm group chooses between strategies labelled as a family specialisation game (Career vs. Family), the Neutral group chooses A vs. B. Women respond strongly to the salience of Norms; they opt for Career at a significantly lower rate compared to Neutral, regardless of familiarity with their partner. By contrast, men’s response is weak and heterogeneous across partner and stranger pairings. Additional analyses suggest that the pattern is not explained by differential beliefs, but is consistent with marriage market motives of some men who may want to signal progressive gender attitudes to their partner.

Patient care may be undermined unless more women go into surgery, RCS says

Patients may receive lower quality surgical care unless more women opt for careers in surgery, the Royal College of Surgeons has said. Speaking at the Women in Surgery conference this week, Clare Marx, president of the college, pointed out that 57% of doctors in training are now …

The Industrial Organization of the Japanese Bar: Levels and Determinants of Attorney Income

Using micro‐level tax data on attorney incomes in 2004 (when the law was changed to make it confidential), we analyze the industrial organization of the Japanese bar. These data suggest two sources of high income: an idiosyncratic return to talent in Tokyo and a compensating differential for the lack of amenities in the provinces. The most able would‐be lawyers (those with the highest opportunity costs) pass the bar‐exam equivalent on one of their first tries or abandon the effort and pursue careers outside of law. If they pass, they opt for careers in Tokyo that involve complex litigation and business transactions. This work places a premium on their talent, and from it they earn appropriately high incomes. The less talented face lower opportunity costs and opt to spend many years studying for the exam. If they do eventually pass, they apparently choose between a relatively low‐income career in Tokyo and a provincial career paying a compensating differential.

Why did I opt for career in science?

Why did I opt for career in science?