The numbers of equality regulation. Quantifying regulatory activity on non-discrimination and its relationship with gender gaps in the labour market

Abstract

Public policies that aim to achieve gender equality, improve work-life balance or combat harassment may have economic consequences, for example, through changes in the labour supply of women or other groups. Although there may be an increase in social awareness of these problems, a separate question is whether this increase is reflected in specific legislation in a society. The objective of this paper is to quantify for the first time when, where and at what rate these social concerns have been translated into legislation. The study covers the period 1996-2022, identifying both central government legislation and legislation in each of the autonomous regions. The analysis, therefore, organises the information in a panel format. The indicators reveal the high degree of heterogeneity in terms of the legislation in the various related areas, with non-discrimination legislation being the most developed and frequent. They also reveal the differences between autonomous regions, with Andalusia and Catalonia being those in which most legislation has been introduced. As an example of an application of this analysis, the database is then used to investigate the relationship between legislative changes and labour market inflows for women. Our estimates show a positive relationship between the volume of legislation passed in the areas of interest, such as non-discrimination policies, and indicators of both employment and female labour force participation.