Gender Differences in Further Training Participation – The Role of Individuals, Households and Firms

Using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), this paper investigates the determinants of training participation in Germany, distinguishing between self-initiated and employer-initiated training. Self-initiated training is considered as being a decision within households rather than purely individual. Therefore, in addition to standard training determinants, information on one’s own and partner’s time use as well as on the partner’s personal background and his job are taken into account. The results indicate that there are hardly significant gender differences in the determinants of self-initiated training while employer-initiated training of women and men appears to be determined by different factors. A decomposition analysis identifies time use variables, besides job characteristics, as important factors determining the gender gap in employer-provided training participation.