Hvem tager barslen, og hvem tager karrieren? casino 168-forsker modtager millionbevilling til forskning i kønsulighed på arbejdsmarkedet
When a child is on the way, many families face a series of crucial questions: Who takes most of the parental leave? Should one of us reduce working hours? Who picks up early – and who stays late at the office?
These kinds of family decisions and how they affect men’s and women’s careers differently is the focus of a new research project led by Associate Professor Annaïg Morin from Copenhagen Business School.
The project, which has received a DKK 6.2 million grant from the Independent Research Fund Denmark through the instrument DFF-Research Project2, will explore how family-related decisions impact career development – and whether men and women pay different career-related prices for otherwise identical choices, such as having children.
Gender and career progression
The project titled ‘The Gender Career Gap: An Analysis of Occupational Segregation and Career Progression’, explores one of the most persistent inequalities in the labour market: the difference in the career development between men and women – especially following family-related decisions such as becoming a parent.
“Previous research has documented that fertility choices and other family decisions have long-term consequences for women in the labour market. We want to understand why identical choices lead to different outcomes for men and women, and how this contributes to gendered career paths and wage gaps,” explains Annaïg Morin.
Among other things, the research project will analyse how structures and norms in the labour market can result in women – especially mothers – consistently experiencing lower career progression and income than their male colleagues. By combining registry data and advanced quantitative methods, the research group hopes to shed new light on the mechanisms behind persistent gender inequality.
Grant for groundbreaking research
The grant is part of Independent Research Fund Denmark’s total allocation of DKK 318 million for 52 innovative research projects in 2025. Only around 9% of applicants received funding under DFF-Research Project2, which supports projects of high academic quality and originality across all scientific fields.
“Independent research enables original high-quality projects across all areas of science, ranging from fundamental insights to practice-oriented solutions. Projects like Annaïg Morin’s have the potential to break new ground and contribute to societal development,” says Søren Serritzlew, Chair of the Board at the Independent Research Fund Denmark, in the fund’s press release.