Temporary contracts and young women in Spain

Abstract

In this article we analyse the determinants of temporary employment through a balanced panel of workers from 1995 to 2000. First, we estimate a panel with 1267 individuals with ages ranging from 16 to 65 years. We obtain that the probability of having a temporary contract increases for people younger than 46 years old. Secondly, we estimate separately the sample of people younger than 46 years old and we obtain that the probability of temporality increases for young people with university level of education. More interestedly, the probability of being in a temporary contract is smaller for young women that for young men in Spain.

Acknowledgement

This study has been financed by the project of Science and Technology GV04B-086.

Notes

¹ For a deep analysis of the legal framework of Spanish’ temporary employment growth see Amuedo-Dorantes (2001), Dolado et al. (2002) and Segura (2001).

² It is not allowed to renew a temporary contract to the same worker after 3 years.

³ In the secondary education variable is included the vocational studies, focused in specific subject, more devoted to the labour market.

⁴ Notice that in Spain the women unemployment rate is twice that of men. Usually, women have alternated temporary contracts and unemployment periods and then only the most qualified women have been in employment during the 6 years of our sample. See Escriche et al . (2004) for a good theoretical framework about gender discrimination and intergenerational transmission of preferences.