Swimming Upstream, Floating Downstream: Comparing Women's Relative Wage Position in the U.S. and Denmark

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Swimming Upstream, Floating Downstream: Comparing Women's Relative Wage Position in the U.S. and Denmark

Author Info

Gupta, Nabanita Datta () (Aarhus School of Business)
Oaxaca, Ronald L. (University of Arizona and IZA Bonn)
Smith, Nina (Aarhus School of Business, CIM, DIW Berlin and IZA Bonn)

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Abstract

We compare how U.S. and Danish gender wage gaps have developed between 1983 and 1995 using U.S. PSID and Danish Longitudinal Sample data. Using a new decomposition method, we show that changes in returns to observable skills and ranking effects outweigh women’s gains due to qualifications and account for a rising gap in Denmark, while these effects cannot counter the large decline in the wage gap in the U.S. in this period. Increased wage dispersion has a minimal effect on the gap in both countries. Women at the highest decile in Denmark face the biggest increase in the gap, while in the U.S., the decline is largest at the top and at the middle of the distribution.

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Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 756.

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Length: 38 pages
Date of creation: Apr 2003
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Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp756

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

NEP-ALL-2003-05-08 (All new papers)
NEP-LTV-2003-05-08 (Unemployment, Inequality & Poverty)

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2003. "Understanding International Differences in the Gender Pay Gap," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(1), pages 106-144, January. [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2001. "Understanding International Differences in the Gender Pay Gap," NBER Working Papers 8200, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Other versions:
- Edin, Per-Anders & Richardson, Katarina, 1999. "Swimming With the Tide: Solidarity Wage Policy and the Gender Earnings Gap," Working Paper Series 1999:11, Uppsala University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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Other versions:
- Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2000. "Gender Differences in Pay," NBER Working Papers 7732, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Other versions:
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Datta Gupta, Nabanita & Smith, Nina, 2002. "Children and Career Interruptions: The Family Gap in Denmark," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 69(276), pages 609-29, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- Gubta, Nabanita Datta & Smith, Nina, 2000. "Children and Career Interruptions: The Family Gap in Denmark," CLS Working Papers 00-3, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Centre for Labour Market and Social Research. [Downloadable!]
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Other versions:
- Albrecht, James & Björklund, Anders & Vroman, Susan, 2001. "Is There a Glass Ceiling in Sweden?," IZA Discussion Papers 282, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
David Neumark, 1987. "Employers' discriminatory behavior and the estimation of wage discrimination," Special Studies Papers 227, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).

Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2004. "The US Gender Pay Gap in the 1990s: Slowing Convergence," NBER Working Papers 10853, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- Francine Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2006. "The US Gender Pay Gap in the 1990s: Slowing Convergence," Working Papers 887, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
- Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2006. "The U.S. Gender Pay Gap in the 1990s: Slowing Convergence," IZA Discussion Papers 2176, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
- Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2006. "The U.S. gender pay gap in the 1990s: slowing convergence," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 60(1), pages 45-66, October.
Alison L. Booth, 2006. "The Glass Ceiling in Europe: Why Are Women Doing Badly in the Labour Market?," CEPR Discussion Papers 542, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. [Downloadable!]
Elisabeth Hermann Frederiksen, 2006. "An Equilibrium Analysis of the Gender Wage Gap," EPRU Working Paper Series 06-08, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
Nabanita Datta Gupta & Ronald L. Oaxaca & Nina Smith, 2006. "Analysing trends in US and Danish gender wage gaps in the 1980s and 1990s," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 13(10), pages 643-647, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)

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