The relationship between gender and socioeconomic outcomes : evidence from the Maltese Islands

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the existence and magnitude of gender disparities across several important socioeconomic outcomes, namely income, employment, health status, life satisfaction, financial satisfaction, and job satisfaction. We utilize detailed, individual-level data from the Maltese Islands using the European Union’s Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), which enables us to control for several observable variables as well as unobservable, individual-level factors to isolate the relationship between gender and the various socioeconomic outcomes assessed in this chapter. The results show a statistically significant link between gender and income, employment, health status, and job satisfaction, with female respondents on average being worse off in each instance relative to their male counterparts. By contrast, we find no evidence of a gender gap in relation to life and financial satisfaction in our sample. We discuss these findings in light of the growing interdisciplinary literature on the implications of such gender disparities on individual and societal outcomes, together with relevant policy initiatives that should seek to address these gaps.