Gender Gap In Upward Mobility: What Is The Role Of Non-Cognitive Traits?

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to find whether non-cognitive traits contribute to the gender gap in supervisory status and promotion.Design/methodology/approach -The authors use a large employer-employee matched data set collected from six former socialist countries to assess the link between non-cognitive traits and upward mobility.Findings -Controlling for workplace heterogeneity, the authors find that gender differences in locus of control, the preference for challenge vs affiliation, and adherence to work ethic together can explain about 7-18 percent of the gender gap in supervisory status and promotion.Originality/value -Overall, non-cognitive traits provide an important, though modest, explanation for the gender gap in upward mobility.