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Minimum Wages and the Gender GAP in Pay: New Evidence from the United Kingdom and Ireland

Author

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  • Olivier Bargain
  • Karina Doorley
  • Philippe Van Kerm

Abstract

Women are disproportionately in low‐paid work compared to men so, in the absence of rationing effects on their employment, they should benefit the most from minimum wage policies. This study examines the change in the gender wage gap around the introduction of minimum wages in Ireland and the United Kingdom (U.K.). Using survey data for the two countries, we develop a decomposition of the change in the gender differences in wage distributions around the date of introduction of minimum wages. We separate out “price” effects attributed to minimum wages from “employment composition” effects. A significant reduction of the gender gap at low wages is observed after the introduction of the minimum wage in Ireland, while there is hardly any change in the U.K. Counterfactual simulations show that the difference between countries may be attributed to gender differences in non‐compliance with the minimum wage legislation in the U.K.

Suggested Citation

  • Olivier Bargain & Karina Doorley & Philippe Van Kerm, 2019. "Minimum Wages and the Gender GAP in Pay: New Evidence from the United Kingdom and Ireland," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 65(3), pages 514-539, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revinw:v:65:y:2019:i:3:p:514-539
    DOI: 10.1111/roiw.12384
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    1. Roantree, Barra & Maître, Bertrand & McTague, Alyvia & Privalko, Ivan, 2021. "Poverty, income inequality and living standards in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT412.
    2. Caliendo, Marco & Wittbrodt, Linda, 2022. "Did the minimum wage reduce the gender wage gap in Germany?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    3. Clemens Ohlert, 2024. "Minimum Wage Effects on Gender Gaps in Working Hours and Earnings in Germany," Working Papers 663, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    4. Laroche, Patrice & Bryson, Alex & Joshi, Heather & Wilkinson, David, 2026. "The Gender Wage Gap in Britain: A Meta-Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 18484, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Carlos Oliveira, 2022. "How is the Minimum Wage Shaping the Wage Disitribution: Bite, Spillovers, and Wage Inequality," GEE Papers 0160, Gabinete de Estratégia e Estudos, Ministério da Economia, revised May 2022.
    6. Paul Redmond & Karina Doorley & Seamus McGuinness, 2021. "The impact of a minimum wage change on the distribution of wages and household income," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 73(3), pages 1034-1056.
    7. José-Ignacio Antón & Rafael Grande & Rafael Muñoz de Bustillo & Fernando Pinto, 2023. "Gender Gaps in Working Conditions," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 53-83, February.
    8. Di Nola, Alessandro & Haywood, Luke & Wang, Haomin, 2023. "Gendered effects of the minimum wage," Working Papers 14, University of Konstanz, Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality. Perceptions, Participation and Policies".
    9. Oliveira, Carlos, 2023. "The minimum wage and the wage distribution in Portugal," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    10. Meriküll, Jaanika & Tverdostup, Maryna, 2023. "The gap that survived the transition: The gender wage gap in Estonia over three decades," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(3).
    11. Doorley, Karina & Privalko, Ivan & Russell, Helen & Tuda, Dora, 2021. "The Gender Pay Gap in Ireland from Austerity through Recovery," IZA Discussion Papers 14441, IZA Network @ LISER.
    12. Jacqueline Strenio & Yana van der Meulen Rodgers, 2023. "Integrating gender into a labour economics class," Advances in Economics Education, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 2(1), pages 26-44, June.
    13. Roantree, Barra & Doorley, Karina, 2023. "Poverty, income inequality and living standards in Ireland: Third annual report," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number JR4.
    14. Silvia De Poli & Sofia Maier, 2025. "Enforcing ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ in the EU: what would it take?," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 23(4), pages 1219-1254, December.
    15. Li, Weibing & Li, Mingyang & Chen, Siyuan, 2025. "Automation and household conflict: How industrial robots reduce domestic violence risk," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(PB).
    16. Luke Haywood, 2023. "Gendered Effects of the Minimum Wage," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2023/450, University of Barcelona School of Economics.
    17. Schmid, Ramona, 2022. "Mind the gap: Effects of the national minimum wage on the gender wage gap in Germany," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 06-2022, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    18. Masso, Jaan & Meriküll, Jaanika & Vahter, Priit, 2022. "The role of firms in the gender wage gap," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 454-473.
    19. Silvia Avram & Susan Harkness, 2025. "Do High Minimum Wages Harm the Progression of Minimum Wage Workers? Evidence From the United Kingdom," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(4), pages 616-642, October.
    20. Yasar, Serife, 2026. "Minimum wages and the gender wage gap within firms," Ruhr Economic Papers 1204, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    21. Kharazi, Aicha & Lu, Saite & Mustafa, Ghulam, 2026. "Minimum Wage and Labour Market Dynamics in Pakistan," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1597, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.

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