IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/fip/fedlrv/91429.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding the Gender Earnings Gap: Hours Worked, Occupational Sorting, and Labor Market Experience

Author

Listed:
  • Maria E. Canon
  • Limor Golan
  • Cody A. Smith

Abstract

This article documents life-cycle gender differences in labor market outcomes using longitudinal data of a cohort of individuals from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. As in other datasets, the gender earnings gap increases with age. We find that hours worked and labor market experience are the most substantial observable variables in explaining the gender pay gap. We also focus on patterns in occupational changes over the life cycle, as a large part of pay growth occurs when workers change jobs. We find that college-educated men, on average, move into occupations with higher task complexity. We further show that women are less likely to change occupations. Moreover, on average, pay grows when workers change occupations, but the growth is smaller for women. Finally, we discuss theories that are consistent with the patterns we document.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria E. Canon & Limor Golan & Cody A. Smith, 2021. "Understanding the Gender Earnings Gap: Hours Worked, Occupational Sorting, and Labor Market Experience," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 103(2), pages 175-205, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedlrv:91429
    DOI: 10.20955/r.103.175-205
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://files.stlouisfed.org/research/publications/review/2021/04/15/understanding-the-gender-earnings-gap-hours-worked-occupational-sorting-and-labor-market-experience.pdf
    File Function: Article Full Text
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/2021/04/15/full-issue.pdf
    File Function: Issue Full Text
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.20955/r.103.175-205?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gauti Eggertsson & Bulat Gafarov & Saroj Bhatarai, 2014. "Time Consistency and the Duration of Government Debt: A Signalling Theory of Quantitative Easing," 2014 Meeting Papers 1292, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    2. Florian Heider & Farzad Saidi & Glenn Schepens, 2019. "Life below Zero: Bank Lending under Negative Policy Rates," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 32(10), pages 3728-3761.
    3. Schepens, Glenn, 2018. "Bank lending under negative policy rates," Research Bulletin, European Central Bank, vol. 43.
    4. Shigenori Shiratsuka, 2010. "Size and Composition of the Central Bank Balance Sheet: Revisiting Japan's Experience of the Quantitative Easing Policy," Monetary and Economic Studies, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan, vol. 28, pages 79-106, November.
    5. Richard G. Anderson & Yang Liu, 2013. "How low can you go? negative interest rates and investors’ flight to safety," The Regional Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Jan.
    6. Kang, Dae Woong & Ligthart, Nick & Mody, Ashoka, 2015. "The European Central Bank: Building a shelter in a storm," CFS Working Paper Series 527, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    7. repec:ecb:ecbrbu:2018:0043:1 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Antonio Diez de los Rios & Maral Shamloo, 2017. "Quantitative Easing and Long-Term Yields in Small Open Economies," IMF Working Papers 2017/212, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Kenneth D. Garbade & James J. McAndrews, 2012. "If Interest Rates Go Negative . . . Or, Be Careful What You Wish For," Liberty Street Economics 20120829, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    10. Kang Dae Woong & Nick Ligthart & Ashoka Mody, 2015. "The European Central Bank: Building a Shelter in a Storm," Working Papers 248, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    11. William R. Emmons & Jacob Haas & Christopher J. Neely, 2020. "Responses of International Central Banks to the COVID-19 Crisis," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 102(4), pages 338-384, October.
    12. Richard G. Anderson & Charles S. Gascon & Yang Liu, 2010. "Doubling your monetary base and surviving: some international experience," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 92(Nov), pages 481-506.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Violeta A. Gutkowski, 2021. "Lockdown Responses to COVID-19," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 103(2), pages 127-151, April.
    2. Evan Karson & Christopher J. Neely, 2021. "More Stories of Unconventional Monetary Policy," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 103(2), pages 207-270, April.
    3. Fabian Schär, 2021. "Decentralized Finance: On Blockchain- and Smart Contract-Based Financial Markets," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 103(2), pages 153-174, April.
    4. Onofri, Marco & Peersman, Gert & Smets, Frank, 2023. "The effectiveness of a negative interest rate policy," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 16-33.
    5. Jeffrey R. Campbell & Thomas B. King & Anna Orlik & Rebecca Zarutskie, 2020. "Issues Regarding the Use of the Policy Rate Tool," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2020-070, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    6. Lopez, Jose A. & Rose, Andrew K. & Spiegel, Mark M., 2020. "Why have negative nominal interest rates had such a small effect on bank performance? Cross country evidence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    7. Whelsy Boungou, 2019. "Negative Interest Rates, Bank Profitability and Risk-taking," Working Papers hal-03456106, HAL.
    8. Czudaj, Robert L., 2020. "Is the negative interest rate policy effective?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 75-86.
    9. Sushant Acharya & Julien Bengui & Keshav Dogra & Shu Lin Wee, 2022. "Slow Recoveries and Unemployment Traps: Monetary Policy in a Time of Hysteresis," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(646), pages 2007-2047.
    10. de Groot, Oliver & Haas, Alexander, 2023. "The signalling channel of negative interest rates," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 87-103.
    11. Paludkiewicz, Karol, 2018. "Unconventional Monetary Policy, Bank Lending, and Security Holdings: The Yield-Induced Portfolio Rebalancing Channel," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181669, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. Edison Yu, 2016. "Did quantitative easing work?," Economic Insights, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, vol. 1(1), pages 5-13, January.
    13. Carlo Altavilla & Miguel Boucinha & Sarah Holton & Steven Ongena, 2021. "Credit Supply and Demand in Unconventional Times," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 53(8), pages 2071-2098, December.
    14. Sushant Acharya & Julien Bengui & Keshav Dogra & Shu Lin Wee, 2016. "Escaping Unemployment Traps," Liberty Street Economics 20161116, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    15. Darmouni, Olivier & Geisecke, Oliver & Rodnyanky, Alexander, 2019. "The Bond Lending Channel of Monetary Policy," MPRA Paper 95141, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Robin Dottling, 2018. "Bank Capital Regulation in a Zero Interest Environment," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 18-016/IV, Tinbergen Institute, revised 11 Oct 2019.
    17. Becker, Chris & Ossandon Busch, Matias & Tonzer, Lena, 2021. "Macroprudential policy and intra-group dynamics: The effects of reserve requirements in Brazil," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    18. Meuleman, Elien & Vander Vennet, Rudi, 2020. "Macroprudential policy and bank systemic risk," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    19. López-Penabad, Maria Celia & Iglesias-Casal, Ana & Silva Neto, José Fernando, 2022. "Effects of a negative interest rate policy in bank profitability and risk taking: Evidence from European banks," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    20. Avalos, Fernando & Mamatzakis, Emmanuel, 2023. "Is bank resilience affected by unconventional monetary policy in the Euro area?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    diversity; gender earnings gap; labor market outcomes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:fip:fedlrv:91429. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Scott St. Louis (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/frbslus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.