Page 37 - IJPS-11-6

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Dynamic gender differences in reporting work

limitations: Comparative evidence from the
United States and Europe

Na Yin 1,2,3 * and Danan Gu 4

1 Department of Public Affairs, Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College, City
University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
2 CUNY Institute for Demographic Research, New York, United States of America
3 New York Retirement and Disability Research Center, New York, United States of America
4 Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, Two United Nations
Plaza, New York, United States of America

Abstract

The gender gap in self-reported work limitations among individuals aged 50 – 70 has
persisted over time and across countries. We investigate whether this gap reflects
actual differences in work limitations or variations in reporting styles between
genders. Using the anchoring vignettes approach and leveraging vignette survey
data from the United States and Europe, we examine how men and women assess
the severity of identical work limitations related to pain, cardiovascular health, and
*Corresponding author: depression. Our findings show that men tend to classify identical work limitations
Na Yin as more severe than women. This gender difference in reporting styles is consistent
(na.yin@baruch.cuny.edu) across both the U.S. and Europe and throughout the time periods studied. Once
Citation: Yin, N. & Gu, D. (2025). we account for these reporting differences, the gender gap in self-reported work
Dynamic gender differences limitations narrows or diminishes. These results have broad implications for research
in reporting work limitations: on self-reported work disability and highlight the need for caution when using self-
Comparative evidence from
the United States and Europe. reported measures to assess disability patterns and trends.
International Journal of Population
Studies. 11(6): 31-49.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1969 Keywords: Gender difference; Work limitation; Self-reports; Anchoring vignettes; Health
Received: October 5, 2023 Retirement Study; Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
Revised: April 3, 2025
Accepted: May 19, 2025
Published online: July 14, 2025 1. Introduction
The “gender health paradox” suggests that, despite their longer life expectancy, women
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article often report poorer health than men (e.g., Case & Paxson, 2005; Crimmins et al., 2011;
distributed under the terms of the Kaleta et al., 2008; Verbrugge, 1989). This paradox has long captured the attention of
Creative Commons Attribution health researchers and policymakers, as it raises critical questions about the interplay
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, between gender and health across various life domains, including work. Recent studies
provided the original work is have shed light on the specific challenges women face in the workplace, such as greater
properly cited. barriers to accessing accommodations compared to men (Jetha et al., 2020), and less
Publisher’s Note: AccScience pronounced health-related benefits of work participation (Hosseinpoor et al., 2012).
Publishing remains neutral with These disparities highlight the importance of examining how health issues impact men
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional and women differently in the workplace and developing targeted strategies to address
affiliations. these inequities. Such efforts are crucial for creating inclusive and supportive work

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 31 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1969