| Title | From Disclosure to Blank: Marital Status and Job Search Prospects |
| Date | January 13, 2026 (Tuesday) 10:40-12:10 |
| Location | Hybrid (Building 3, 12th-floor discussion room) |
| Abstract | This paper exploits a natural experiment on a large Chinese online job platform that eliminated marital status from all resumes. Prior to the change, applicants were required to indicate their status — married, single, or conceal — and this information was displayed to recruiters; afterward, the marital status field became blank for all workers. Using a difference-in-differences design with individual fixed effects, we compare changes in job search outcomes for applicants who had reported being married (or single) relative to those who had concealed their status, before and after the removal. We find that married applicants’ callback rates decline, while those of single applicants increase, with effects concentrated among men. These patterns indicate that employers previously valued marital status as a positive signal for men, conferring a marital premium in the hiring process. |
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| Note | Please register via the following URL for online participation: https://list-waseda-jp.zoom.us/meeting/register/hIWgc9TZRuidJu3w4mO9sQ |