Unintended Benefits of COVID-19? Impacts on Job Flexibility and the Gender Pay Gap

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted employers to greatly expand remote work. In May 2020, among those commuting to work before the pandemic, 35.2 percent were working remotely. To what extent has this changed worker preferences for workplace flexibility and its adoption by employers? Using surveys and experiments, economist Patricia Cortés and her research team will study whether and how the pandemic is changing worker preferences for workplace flexibility, as well as the longer-term effects of changes in workplaces and work arrangements. The investigators will also explore the extent to which flexible arrangements persist after COVID-19, their impacts on compensating differentials, changes in the division of labor within the household, and gender differences in occupational choice and earnings.