TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Abraham, Martin
AU  - Wieser, Luisa
AU  - Schnabel, Claus
AU  - Niessen, Cornelia
AU  - Bergmann, Sara
        TI  - The Digital Gender Divide in Germany: The Role of Preferences and Constraints in Digital Involvement and Wages
        PY  - 2025/Aug/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18097
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18097
        AB  - This paper investigates the digital gender divide (DGD) in Germany by analyzing gendered patterns of digital technology use in both private and professional contexts, and their consequences for wages. Using data from the GESIS Panel, we construct a Digital Involvement at Work index covering ten technologies to assess both active use and passive exposure. Our results reveal a significant DGD in the workplace: women are consistently less involved with digital technologies at work, even after controlling for education, occupational qualification, and digital affinity. In contrast, private digital use appears more balanced. This suggests that structural constraints—rather than individual preferences—play a key role in shaping the divide. Further, we find that digital involvement is positively associated with individual income, yet it does not close the gender pay gap (GPG). On the contrary, digital involvement yields greater wage returns for men than for women. These findings highlight how gendered patterns of digitalization in the workplace reinforce existing inequalities. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for policy and labor market equity, emphasizing the need for measures that promote equitable digital inclusion.
        KW  - Germany
KW  - wages
KW  - gender pay gap
KW  - digitalisation
KW  - digital involvement
KW  - gender
        ER  -