scholarly journals College Majors, Occupations, and the Gender Wage Gap

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 223-248
Author(s):  
Carolyn M. Sloane ◽  
Erik G. Hurst ◽  
Dan A. Black
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Wage Gap ◽  
Major Choice ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
College Majors ◽  
Undergraduate Major ◽  
Occupational Sorting ◽  
College Educated ◽  
Over Time

The paper assesses gender differences in pre-labor market specialization among the college-educated and highlights how those differences have evolved over time. Women choose majors with lower potential earnings (based on male wages associated with those majors) and subsequently sort into occupations with lower potential earnings given their major choice. These differences have narrowed over time, but recent cohorts of women still choose majors and occupations with lower potential earnings. Differences in undergraduate major choice explain a substantive portion of gender wage gaps for the college-educated above and beyond simply controlling for occupation. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of understanding gender differences in the mapping between college major and occupational sorting when studying the evolution of gender differences in labor market outcomes over time.

Gender Differences in Behavioral Traits and Labor Market Outcomes

2017 ◽  
pp. 480-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Shurchkov ◽  
Catherine C. Eckel
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Occupational Sorting

Despite a policy push toward equality, substantial gender gaps in earnings and vertical gender segregation persist in the labor market. Studies point to gender-specific occupational sorting as one of the primary explanatory factors. But why do men and women sort into different careers? In this chapter, we document the evidence that suggests that gender differences along four behavioral traits may offer a plausible explanation. Specifically, the consensus in the literature is that women, on average, exhibit greater risk aversion, lower levels of competitiveness, and less desire to negotiate as compared to men. Gender differences in social preferences are less robust, but women appear to be more sensitive to social context and framing. Importantly, there is no conclusive evidence on whether these differences are inherent or societal for any of the individual traits, although most studies point to the latter.

Double Disadvantage or Blessing in Disguise? Understanding the Relationship Between College Major and Employment Sector

2005 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josipa Roksa
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
College Graduates ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
College Major ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
College Majors ◽  
College Degrees ◽  
Employment Sector

Although college graduates earn substantial labor market rewards, not all college degrees are rewarded equally. Graduates who majored in female-dominated fields earn substantially lower incomes than do graduates who majored in male-dominated fields. Income differentials that are associated with different types of college majors are extensively noted but poorly understood. This article advances the previous literature by examining how college major affects the labor market outcomes of college graduates through its relationship with employment sector. The results show that graduates of female-dominated fields are disproportionately employed in public and nonprofit organizations, which offer lower monetary rewards but facilitate access to professional and managerial positions. Notably, college major and employment sector interact in ways that reduce income penalties and enhance the occupational location of graduates of female-dominated fields who work in public and nonprofit settings. These findings highlight the importance of considering organizational context in the study of labor market outcomes, particularly when examining the gendered character of educational credentials and occupations.

Gender Differences in Education and Training in the IT Workforce

2011 ◽  
pp. 3224-3233
Author(s):  
P. Carayon
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
Master's Degrees ◽  
Administrative Services ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees ◽  
Information Sciences

Historically, women have had lower levels of educational attainment (Freeman, 2004; NCES, 1999), which in turn could negatively affect their opportunities in the labor market. However, in the past decade, this has changed dramatically. In general, more women have completed college, and more women have received bachelor’s and master’s degrees than men. Only in the highest level of education (PhD), men hold more degrees than women (NCES, 1999, 2002). In a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Freeman (2004) presents an overview of the latest developments with regard to gender differences in educational attainment. Historically, females have tended to account for the majority of bachelor’s degrees in fields that often lead to lower paying occupations, such as education and health professions, while males have typically predominated in higher paying fields, such as computer science and engineering. While some of these disparities persist, many changes have occurred since the 1970s. Certain fields in which men received the majority of degrees in the 1970s, such as social sciences, history, psychology, biological sciences/life sciences, and business management and administrative services, attained relative gender parity or were disproportionately female by 2001. While other fields, such as computer and information sciences, physical sciences and science technologies, and engineering, continue to have a larger proportion of males, the percentages of females majoring in those fields is increasing (Freeman, 2004). Between 1970 and 2001, the percentages of master’s, doctoral and first-professional degrees earned by females increased substantially in many fields. However, advanced degrees conferred still tend to follow traditional patterns, with women accounting for the majority of master’s and doctor’s degree recipients in education and health, and men accounting for the majority of recipients in computer and information sciences and engineering. Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with certain labor market outcomes, such as higher labor force participation rates, higher rates of employment, and higher earnings (Freeman, 2004). A study by Igbaria, Parasuraman and Greenhaus (1997) looked at gender differences in the information technology (IT) work force with regard to education and experience, career history and attainments and career orientation. The results showed significant differences in educational attainment. A larger percentage of female IT employees in the study ended their formal education after attaining a bachelor’s degree.

A Gender Agenda: A Progress Report on Competitiveness

2017 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 115-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Niederle
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Progress Report ◽  
Open Area ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Behavioral Trait ◽  
Institutional Differences ◽  
Trait Competitiveness

I review the role of a new behavioral trait, competitiveness, on the gender agenda. I first describe how to measure competitiveness in the laboratory and show that gender differences in competitiveness are robust. I then establish the external economic relevance of the experimental measure of competitiveness: competitiveness correlates with education and labor market outcomes and can help account for gender differences therein. Finally, institutions can differ in the importance they place on competitiveness and hence can affect gender differences in economic outcomes. Exploring these institutional differences and their effects remains an open area of behavioral market design.

Salaries of Recent Male and Female College Graduates: Educational and Labor Market Effects

ILR Review ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lois Joy
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
College Graduates ◽  
Wage Gap ◽  
Academic Variables ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Market Effects ◽  
Male College ◽  
Market Variables ◽  
Using Data

Why do recent male college graduates earn more than their female counterparts? The author explores this question by estimating several salary regressions using data from the 1993–94 NCES Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that labor market variables outweighed academic variables in their contribution to the gender salary gap. Of the academic variables, gender differences in total credits accounted for more of the salary gap than did gender differences in majors, grades, or institution attended. Of the labor market variables, gender differences in job sector, industry, and hours worked had the largest effect on gender differences in salaries. Differences in how men and women searched for and selected first jobs appear to have had little impact on gender differences in salary. Most important, as much as 75% of the wage gap remains unexplained by both the academic and labor market variables.

scholarly journals Non-Cognitive Abilities And Labor Market Outcomes: The Role Of Work Ethic And Personality Traits On Supervisory Status And Promotion

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Luke Chu ◽  
Susan J. Linz
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Linked Data ◽  
Work Ethic ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Market Outcomes

A growing literature suggests that noncognitive abilities are important determinants of earnings. But empirical research on nonwage labor market outcomes is still limited due to data availability. In this paper, we collect employer-employee linked data from six former socialist countries and estimate three noncognitive abilities: adherence to work ethic, the preference for challenge versus affiliation, and locus of control, and their relationship with workers’ supervisory status and promotions. We find that these noncognitive abilities are strong predictors of the likelihood of being a supervisor and being promoted as well as the number of supervisees and promotions. We also study the role of noncognitive abilities in the gender gap in these labor market outcomes. Based on a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition, gender differences in these noncognitive abilities can explain a modest proportion of the gender gap in supervisory status and promotions.

Labor Market Outcomes of Immigrant Women in the United States: 1970 to 1990

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Schoeni
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Wage Gap ◽  
Immigrant Women ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Almost All

Forty-two percent of immigrant workers in the United States are women, yet almost all of the evidence on the economic performance of immigrants is based on analyses of men. This study begins to fill the void by examining differences in a wide array of labor market outcomes between U.S.-born and immigrant women, and among immigrant women born in different countries or regions of the world, using the 1970, 1980 and 1990 censuses. Immigrant women were less likely to participate in the labor force, and this gap increased to 7 percentage points by 1990. However, the share of self-employed and the number of weeks and hours worked among employed women were roughly the same for immigrants and natives throughout the 1970–1990 period. The gap in unemployment and weekly wages widened in favor of natives between 1970 and 1990, with a gap in median wages of 14 percent in 1990. However, immigrants born in the United Kingdom and Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, and the Middle East have had steady or improved wages and unemployment relative to U.S.-born women. At the same time, immigrants from Mexico and Central America, who now represent one-quarter of all immigrant women, have experienced relatively high unemployment and low earnings, and these differences have increased, with the wage gap reaching 35 percent in 1990. Disparities in completed years of schooling can explain a substantial share of the differences in labor market outcomes.

Gender Differences in Education and Training in the IT Workforce

2011 ◽  
pp. 535-542
Author(s):  
Pascale Carayon ◽  
Peter Hoonakker ◽  
Jen Schoepke
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
Master's Degrees ◽  
Administrative Services ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees ◽  
Information Sciences

Historically, women have had lower levels of educational attainment (Freeman, 2004; NCES, 1999), which in turn could negatively affect their opportunities in the labor market. However, in the past decade, this has changed dramatically. In general, more women have completed college, and more women have received bachelor’s and master’s degrees than men. Only in the highest level of education (PhD), men hold more degrees than women (NCES, 1999, 2002). In a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Freeman (2004) presents an overview of the latest developments with regard to gender differences in educational attainment. Historically, females have tended to account for the majority of bachelor’s degrees in fields that often lead to lower paying occupations, such as education and health professions, while males have typically predominated in higher paying fields, such as computer science and engineering. While some of these disparities persist, many changes have occurred since the 1970s. Certain fields in which men received the majority of degrees in the 1970s, such as social sciences, history, psychology, biological sciences/life sciences, and business management and administrative services, attained relative gender parity or were disproportionately female by 2001. While other fields, such as computer and information sciences, physical sciences and science technologies, and engineering, continue to have a larger proportion of males, the percentages of females majoring in those fields is increasing (Freeman, 2004). Between 1970 and 2001, the percentages of master’s, doctoral and first-professional degrees earned by females increased substantially in many fields. However, advanced degrees conferred still tend to follow traditional patterns, with women accounting for the majority of master’s and doctor’s degree recipients in education and health, and men accounting for the majority of recipients in computer and information sciences and engineering. Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with certain labor market outcomes, such as higher labor force participation rates, higher rates of employment, and higher earnings (Freeman, 2004). A study by Igbaria, Parasuraman and Greenhaus (1997) looked at gender differences in the information technology (IT) work force with regard to education and experience, career history and attainments and career orientation. The results showed significant differences in educational attainment. A larger percentage of female IT employees in the study ended their formal education after attaining a bachelor’s degree.

scholarly journals Biology and Gender in the Labor Market

2017 ◽  
pp. 512-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Cobb-Clark
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Human Genetics ◽  
Behavioral Genetics ◽  
Wage Gap ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
New Research

This article explores whether new research linking economic decision-making to human biology provides an explanation for gendered labor market outcomes, in particular the gender wage gap. Literature in four broad areas is reviewed: behavioral endocrinology (hormones), human genetics (behavioral genetics and genoeconomics), neuroeconomics, and sensory functioning and time-space perceptions. Often the research focus is on biologically-based differences in men’s and women’s abilities to make decisions more generally, and one is left to speculate about the implications for labor market outcomes specifically. Therefore, the article concludes by highlighting some of the fundamental issues that are not yet understood and offering some priorities for future research.

scholarly journals Gender Imbalances and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Large-Scale Mexican Migration

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Conover ◽  
Melanie Khamis ◽  
Sarah Pearlman
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
International Migration ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gender Wage Gap ◽  
Wage Gap ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Female Ratio

Abstract We study the consequences of international migration on labor market outcomes in a developing country. Specifically, we look at the case of Mexico, where large-scale international migration has led to significant declines in the male/female ratio. We explore whether this results in Mexican women entering high-skilled and better paying jobs over time. This question is relevant since there has been an increase in women's education and labor force participation across the developing world, but less evidence of improvements in the gender wage gap. Using an instrumental variables strategy that relies on historical migration patterns, we find that when there are relatively fewer men, women are more likely to work, have high-skilled jobs, and some earn higher wages. These results are robust to the inclusion of state, age group, and year fixed effects, and to different measures of migration and data sources. We explore investments in human capital as a key mechanism. We find that the gains in schooling are concentrated among women with the same average level of education of the men who migrate. From an aggregate perspective, these improvements in job type and wages are important given that higher female income may benefit the status, education, and health of both women and children, which in turn increases a country's development and growth. Our findings are among the few that show some movement toward improvements in the gender wage gap in a developing country setting.

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