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Sexism, Social Outcomes, and the Gender Wage Gap

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  • Owen, Ann L.
  • Wei, Andrew

Abstract

Using Google Trends data to identify hostile sexism, we find that sexism explains about 8 cents (or 41 percent) of the residual gender wage gap, the wage gap after controlling for education, occupation, industry, and age. We find evidence for a direct effect of sexism consistent with labor market discrimination and an indirect effect that works through social outcomes that reduce hours worked which itself directly affects wages. Consistent with theories of discrimination, the direct impact of sexism is greater for women who are less educated, work in less competitive industries, and work in industries with fewer female workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Owen, Ann L. & Wei, Andrew, 2020. "Sexism, Social Outcomes, and the Gender Wage Gap," MPRA Paper 102474, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:102474
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender wage gap; sexism; discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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