Resource shocks, employment, and gender: Evidence from the collapse of the UK coal industry

This paper examines the effect of resource shocks on non-primary employment by gender. Using a new dataset from the closure of coal mines in UK, we show that the effects are different for men and women: when a mine closes, employment in manufacturing and services increases for men, but decreases for women. Population size and wages are also negatively affected. The effects are sizeable and persist more than 20 years after mine closures. These results are consistent with men and women being imperfect substitutes in the labour market, and highlight the importance of considering gender issues when assessing the economic impact of natural resources.