Page 38 - IJPS-11-6

International Journal of
Population Studies Gender gaps in reporting limitations

environments that promote sustainable development observed disparities. Understanding and addressing these
(United Nations, 2015). differences is essential for accurately assessing gender
Work limitations, defined as restrictions in performing disparities in work limitations and for shaping effective
job tasks due to health problems (Martin, 2024), have policy interventions. Without such adjustments, observed
far-reaching implications for individuals and economies. disparities might reflect not only actual health inequalities
Women, due to their distinct health profiles and caregiving but also differences in how limitations are perceived
responsibilities, may face more frequent and severe and reported. Insights from vignette-based studies
work limitations than men (World Economic Forum, have actionable implications, particularly for designing
2023). However, the measurement of work limitations is workplace policies that are sensitive to women’s unique
complicated by the reliance on self-reported data, which health challenges and ensuring equitable access to support
are prone to reporting heterogeneity – differences in and accommodations. Furthermore, integrating vignette
how individuals perceive and assess their limitations. methods into large-scale surveys could enhance the
Factors such as cultural norms, socioeconomic status, accuracy of labor force statistics, offering a more reliable
and personal experiences are likely to influence these basis for policy decisions.
self-assessments (Kapteyn et al., 2009; Heiland & Yin, At the same time, gaps remain in understanding
2015), making it challenging to determine the true extent how gender intersects with other factors, such as age,
of gender disparities in work limitations. For example, socioeconomic status, and cultural context, to shape
although which gender is in disadvantage based on self- experiences of work limitations. For instance, while older
reported work limitations is inconclusive, significant women are more likely to report limitations due to health
gender differences have been observed among older adults problems, their experiences may differ significantly based
in both the U.S. and some European countries (Crimmins on their occupational histories and access to resources
et al., 2011; Kapteyn et al., 2009; Yin & Heiland, 2017; Yin such as healthcare and social support (Vanajan et al., 2020).
& Heiland, 2022). Similarly, cultural norms and gender roles may influence

To address these challenges, researchers have how men and women perceive and report their work
increasingly turned to vignette-based methodologies, capacities. Cross-national studies have revealed variations
which adjust for reporting heterogeneity by standardizing in reporting behaviors that align with broader societal
assessments (Angelini et al., 2011; Dowd & Todd, 2011; attitudes toward gender and health (Mansyur et al., 2009).
Heiland & Yin, 2015; King et al., 2004). This approach These findings highlight the need for further research to
involves presenting respondents with hypothetical scenarios capture the complexity of gendered experiences of work
describing health or work limitations and asking them to limitations.
rate the severity of these limitations on a pre-defined scale. In this study, we build on the existing literature by
By anchoring responses to consistent frameworks, vignette leveraging vignette survey data from the U.S. and Europe
methods mitigate individual differences in interpretation to examine gender differences in reported work limitations.
(Angelini et al., 2011; Kapteyn et al., 2009; King et al., Specifically, we aim to analyze how men and women assess
2004; Yin & Heiland, 2017). For example, vignette studies identical scenarios involving health problems such as pain,
have revealed systematic gender-based differences in cardiovascular issues, and depression. Pain and depression
assessing identical health conditions, such as chronic pain, are particularly relevant, as they disproportionately affect
cardiovascular issues, and depression, with women often women and are leading causes of work-related disability
assigning higher severity ratings than men (Heiland & Yin, worldwide (GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators,
2015; Yin & Heiland, 2022). These findings suggest that 2020; WHO, 2011). Similarly, cardiovascular health,
reporting heterogeneity may exaggerate perceived gender traditionally viewed as a predominantly male concern, has
disparities in work limitations, highlighting the need to gained attention as a critical issue for women. Emerging
account for such differences when evaluating gender- research highlights that women often present with atypical
based inequalities in work limitations. symptoms of cardiovascular disease, leading to delays in
Despite these insights, only a limited number of studies diagnosis and treatment and poorer long-term outcomes
have explored gender differences in reporting work (Vogel et al., 2021). By applying the anchoring vignette
limitations (e.g., Angelini et al., 2011; Kapteyn et al., 2009; approach, we aim to distinguish between actual health
King et al., 2004, 2017; Yin & Heiland, 2022). Among them, effects and reporting biases in disability assessments,
none have specifically examined whether men and women refining existing methods in disability research, and
perceive and report their work limitations differently contributing to a more nuanced understanding of
and how gender-related reporting heterogeneity affects gendered health disparities. Ultimately, our study seeks to

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 32 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1969