Does transportation infrastructure growth improve women’s labor market outcomes? Evidence from Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This dissertation examines the causal effects of transportation infrastructure expansion on female labor market outcomes using the case study of the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 Olympics. We utilize an employer-employee dataset from RAIS, spanning from 2010 to 2018, to analyze changes in employment, unemployment, employer-initiated dismissals, employee-initiated resignations, mutual agreement terminations, weekly hours worked, and weekly wages in firms located near transportation stations. Employing a dynamic differences-in-differences design, we find a substantial increase of 1.86% in female employment in firms located within 2 km of transportation stations post-expansion, with highly skilled women experiencing a larger increase of 2.65%. Despite this positive effect on female employment, the transportation expansion policy does not mitigate employee-initiated separations or mutual agreement terminations, suggesting that additional factors influence women's long-term job tenure.