The Career Evolution of the Sex Gap in Wages: Discrimination Vs. Human Capital Investment

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_3982FCF68E02
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The Career Evolution of the Sex Gap in Wages: Discrimination Vs. Human Capital Investment
Journal
50th Celebratory Volume (Research in Labor Economics)
Author(s)
Vaccaro Giannina, Neumark David
ISBN
978-1-80455-126-4
Publication state
Published
Issued date
23/01/2023
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Language
english
Notes
Citation
Neumark, D. and Vaccaro, G. (2023), "The Career Evolution of the Sex Gap in Wages: Discrimination Versus Human Capital Investment", Polachek, S.W. and Tatsiramos, K. (Ed.) 50th Celebratory Volume (Research in Labor Economics), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 117-150. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0147-912120230000050004
Abstract
Several studies find that there is little sex gap in wages at labor market entry, and that the sex gap in wages emerges (and grows) with time in the labor market. This evidence is consistent with (i) there is little or no sex discrimination in wages at labor market entry, and (ii) the emergence of the sex gap in wages with time in the labor market reflects differences between women and men in human capital investment (and other decisions), with women investing less early in their careers. Indeed, some economists explicitly interpret the evidence this way. We show that this interpretation ignores two fundamental implications of the human capital model, and that differences in investment can complicate the interpretation of both the starting sex gap in wages (or absence of a gap), and the differences in “returns” to experience. We then estimate stylized structural models of human capital investment and wage growth to identify the effects of discrimination (or other sources of a starting pay gap) and differences in human capital investment.
Keywords
Gender Gap, Discrimination, Human Capital Investment, Starting Pay, Wage Growth, Returns to Experience
Create date
16/01/2023 12:55
Last modification date
25/01/2023 7:56
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