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Gender gaps in early wage expectations

Author

Listed:
  • Leibing, Andreas
  • Peter, Frauke
  • Waights, Sevrin
  • Spiess, C. Katharina

Abstract

Using detailed data from a unique survey of high school graduates in Germany, we document a gender gap in expected full-time earnings of more than 15%. We decompose this early gender gap and find that especially differences in coefficients help explain different expectations. In particular, the effects of having time for family as career motive and being first-generation college student are associated with large penalties in female wage expectations exclusively. This is especially true for higher expected career paths. Resulting expected returns to education are associated with college enrollment of women and could thus entrench subsequent gaps in realized earnings.

Suggested Citation

  • Leibing, Andreas & Peter, Frauke & Waights, Sevrin & Spiess, C. Katharina, 2023. "Gender gaps in early wage expectations," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:94:y:2023:i:c:s0272775723000456
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102398
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kiessling, Lukas & Pinger, Pia & Seegers, Philipp & Bergerhoff, Jan, 2024. "Gender differences in wage expectations and negotiation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    2. Fazıl Kayıkçı & Daniel Meyer & Rui Alexandre Cstanho & Fatma Çoban Kayıkçı & Sema Yılmaz, 2025. "Gender and Wage Gap: Cross-Country Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, August.
    3. Leibing, Andreas, 2026. "Skill Substitution, Expectations, and the Business Cycle," EconStor Preprints 335943, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Antoni, Manfred & Gerner, Hans-Dieter & Jäckle, Robert & Schwarz, Stefan, 2024. "When Women Learn That They Earn Less: The Gender Pay Gap in University Student Internships," MPRA Paper 122018, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Pamela Giustinelli, 2022. "Expectations in Education: Framework, Elicitation, and Evidence," Working Papers 2022-026, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    6. Gomez-Herrera, Estrella & Mueller-Langer, Frank, 2024. "Does information disclosure affect the gender gap in bidding behavior? Empirical evidence from a natural experiment on a large online labor platform," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Adler, Katharina & Kosse, Fabian & Nagler, Markus & Rincke, Johannes, 2025. "Earnings expectations of “First-in Family” university students and their role for major choice," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    8. Carlos Madeira, 2026. "Predicting your children’s returns to schooling," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 25(1), pages 5-35, January.
    9. Delaney, Judith M. & Devereux, Paul J., 2025. "Gender differences in graduate degree choices," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    10. Weidong Wu & Shuang Yang & Tengjun Guo, 2025. "Factors Associated with Wage Expectations Among Macao Youths When Considering Emigration to the Mainland of China," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations

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