Most research on the gender gap in the legal profession focuses on the private sector. We look at the gender gap in a setting where one might expect the gaps to be smaller: the Division of Enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has a reputation for providing employees with good childcare and work flexibility. We find a substantial gender gap in assignments but only a modest one in pay. Men are also more likely to move laterally and more likely to move to lucrative private-sector jobs. What causes these gaps? The primary explanation for the gender gap from the extant literature is the gender differential in childcare. We do not find substantial evidence that having children affects pay and assignments at the SEC. The presence of children, however, does seem to affect the behavior of men and women differently in deciding when to leave the SEC.

中文翻译：

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我该留下还是该走？证券交易委员会律师的性别差距

关于法律职业中性别差距的大多数研究都集中在私营部门。我们在一个可能会期望缩小性别差距的环境中研究性别差距：证券交易委员会（SEC）的执行部门，该部门以为员工提供良好的育儿和工作灵活性而闻名。我们发现在工作分配中存在巨大的性别差距，但在薪酬方面却只有很小的差距。男性也更有可能横向移动，更有可能转向利润丰厚的私营部门工作。是什么导致这些差距？现有文献对性别差异的主要解释是托儿方面的性别差异。我们找不到大量证据表明生孩子会影响SEC的薪酬和工作。但是，有儿童在场