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The gender wage gap among recent postsecondary graduates in Canada: a distributional approach

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  • Brahim Boudarbat
  • Marie Connolly

Abstract

Using the National Graduates Survey, we examine the trends in the gender wage gap among recent postsecondary graduates in Canada between 1988 and 2007. Female graduates earn on average 614% less than males during the period two to five years after graduation. Decompositions show that observable personal characteristics and job attributes can explain only a small portion of the wage gap. We also find that men earn more than women at every point of the distribution. Interestingly, the wage difference shrank in the lower half of the distribution in recent years, while it increased in the upper half.

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  • Brahim Boudarbat & Marie Connolly, 2013. "The gender wage gap among recent postsecondary graduates in Canada: a distributional approach," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 46(3), pages 1037-1065, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cje:issued:v:46:y:2013:i:3:p:1037-1065
    DOI: 10.1111/caje.12036
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    Cited by:

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    2. Avinno Faruk, 2021. "Analysing the glass ceiling and sticky floor effects in Bangladesh: evidence, extent and elements," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(9), pages 1-23, September.
    3. Luann Good Gingrich & Naomi Lightman, 2015. "The Empirical Measurement of a Theoretical Concept: Tracing Social Exclusion among Racial Minority and Migrant Groups in Canada," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(4), pages 98-111.
    4. Candon Johnson & Eduardo Minuci, 2020. "Wage discrimination in the NBA: Evidence using free agent signings," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(2), pages 517-539, October.
    5. Jiang Beryl Li & Benoit Dostie & Gäelle Simard-Duplain, 2020. "What is the Role of Firm-Specific Pay Policies on the Gender Earnings Gap in Canada?," CIRANO Working Papers 2020s-67, CIRANO.
    6. Luiza Antonie & Miana Plesca & Jennifer Teng, 2016. "Heterogeneity in the Gender Wage Gap in Canada," Working Papers 1603, University of Guelph, Department of Economics and Finance.
    7. Marko Ledić & Ivica Rubil, 2021. "Beyond Wage Gap, Towards Job Quality Gap: The Role of Inter-Group Differences in Wages, Non-Wage Job Dimensions, and Preferences," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 523-561, June.
    8. Charles M. Beach, 2016. "Changing income inequality: A distributional paradigm for Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 1229-1292, November.
    9. Marie Connolly & Fabian Lange, 2025. "Les avantages socioéconomiques d’un rattrapage de la diplomation des garçons au Québec," CIRANO Project Reports 2025rp-10, CIRANO.
    10. Gustavo Adolfo García & Diego René Gonzales Miranda & Oscar Gallo & Juan Pablo Roman Calderon, 2020. "Millennials and the gender wage gap: Do millennial women face a glass ceiling?," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 18409, Universidad EAFIT.
    11. Kanat Abdulla, 2024. "Language diversity, gender inequality, and aggregate productivity in Canada," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 71(3), pages 323-345, July.
    12. David Anderson & Margrét V. Bjarnadóttir & Cristian L. Dezső & David Gaddis Ross, 2019. "On a Firm’s Optimal Response to Pressure for Gender Pay Equity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 214-231, February.
    13. Luann Good Gingrich & Naomi Lightman, 2015. "The Empirical Measurement of a Theoretical Concept: Tracing Social Exclusion among Racial Minority and Migrant Groups in Canada," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(4), pages 98-111.
    14. Tromp, Nikolas & Kwak, Juwon, 2022. "Graduating to a gender wage gap in South Korea," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    15. Luiza Antonie & Laura Gatto & Miana Plesca, 2020. "Full-Time and Part-Time Work and the Gender Wage Gap," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 48(3), pages 313-326, September.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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