The Gender Composition Of Supervisor-Subordinate Dyads: Career Trajectories And Compensation

Does the gender of the supervisor matter for career trajectories and compensation of both male and female subordinates? This paper exploits a fine-grained longitudinal personnel data on workers from an Italian insurance company over the period 2014-2021 and identifies the gender composition of supervisor-subordinate dyads. Employing an individual fixed effect model, we show that while male and female supervisors evaluate similarly the performance of male and female subordinates, female supervisors are less likely to award one-off bonuses to both genders compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, both male and female subordinates are less likely of receiving promotions from employee to middle-manager when their supervisor is a woman compared to when their supervisor is a man. We interpret these findings as suggestive of female supervisors facing heightened scrutiny, leading to fewer promotions and bonuses being granted.