Equal Access, Unequal Investment: Gender Differences in Workplace Training Intensity

ABSTRACT Gender differences in access to workplace training have narrowed in many countries, and training participation rates are commonly used to assess equality in skill development. However, participation rates alone do not capture how much training employees receive. Using linked employer–employee data covering 779 Korean manufacturing firms between 2007 and 2023, this study examines gender differences in the intensity of employer‐provided training. We find that, conditional on firm, year, and worker characteristics, female employees who participate in training receive approximately 12% fewer training days than comparable male employees within the same firm. This disparity remains stable over time and is robust to alternative specifications and estimators. The participation gap is most pronounced in mentoring programs, while the intensity gap is largest among sales and service occupations, suggesting that managerial discretion plays an important role in the allocation of training opportunities. Wage regressions indicate that training duration is positively associated with earnings and that women receive returns to training that are at least as large as those of men. The findings suggest that evaluating gender equality in workplace skill investment requires attention not only to training participation but also to the intensity of training provided.