Yana Gallen

Yana Gallen is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Her research interests are broadly directed toward the fields of labor economics and public policy. As a labor economist studying the gender wage gap, her research focuses on understanding the sources of the gender pay gap — preferences, discrimination or productivity. She is also interested in the impact of family friendly policies on the labor market, particularly looking at indirect or unanticipated effects of policy reforms. She has explored how extended maternity leave affects the career paths of co-workers, whether these extensions are costly to firms, and whether that cost is passed on to future mothers. 

Many of her projects use Danish register data linking workers and firms. Her current work focuses on the savings and career decisions of household before they know their preferences concerning child-rearing.