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Time Flexibility, Women’s Wages, and the Gender Wage Gap

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  • David L. Schaffer

    (University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire)

  • Joseph M. Westenberg

    (Indiana University)

Abstract

Paid jobs providing more time flexibility may appeal to workers who have primary responsibility as a caregiver for young children or for sick, handicapped, or elderly adults. However, in some jobs, workers who are given this flexibility may be less productive per hour than workers who commit to a fixed work schedule chosen by the employer. These two realities may lead employers to offer, and caregivers to accept, lower paying jobs that come with more time flexibility. Since caregivers in the United States are disproportionally women, this may help to explain the lingering gender wage gap in the U.S. Data sets were combined from the 2015 revision of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and the 2003 through 2015 March Current Population Surveys to analyze this issue. The combined data set includes extensive information on workers’ average hourly earnings and personal characteristics along with 407 characteristics of their occupations. Log wage regressions were used to show that the data are not consistent with the Time Flexibility Hypothesis when applied to occupation categories.

Suggested Citation

  • David L. Schaffer & Joseph M. Westenberg, 2019. "Time Flexibility, Women’s Wages, and the Gender Wage Gap," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 47(2), pages 217-239, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:47:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s11293-019-09622-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11293-019-09622-9
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