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Salaries of Recent Male and Female College Graduates: Educational and Labor Market Effects

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  • Lois Joy

Abstract

Why do recent male college graduates earn more than their female counterparts? The author explores this question by estimating several salary regressions using data from the 1993–94 NCES Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that labor market variables outweighed academic variables in their contribution to the gender salary gap. Of the academic variables, gender differences in total credits accounted for more of the salary gap than did gender differences in majors, grades, or institution attended. Of the labor market variables, gender differences in job sector, industry, and hours worked had the largest effect on gender differences in salaries. Differences in how men and women searched for and selected first jobs appear to have had little impact on gender differences in salary. Most important, as much as 75% of the wage gap remains unexplained by both the academic and labor market variables.

Suggested Citation

  • Lois Joy, 2003. "Salaries of Recent Male and Female College Graduates: Educational and Labor Market Effects," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(4), pages 606-621, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:56:y:2003:i:4:p:606-621
    DOI: 10.1177/001979390305600404
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Sergey Roshchin & Victor Rudakov, 2015. "Do Starting Salaries for Graduates Measure the Quality of Education? A Review of Studies by Russian and Foreign Authors," Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 1, pages 137-181.
    3. Qenani-Petrela, Eivis & Wolf, Marianne McGarry, 2007. "Differential Earnings of the Agricultural Graduates: New Evidence from the Agribusiness Industry," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 10(2), pages 1-18.
    4. Russo, Giovanni & Hassink, Wolter, 2005. "The Part-Time Wage Penalty: A Career Perspective," IZA Discussion Papers 1468, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Catherine J. Weinberger, 2018. "Engineering Educational Opportunity: Impacts of 1970s and 1980s Policies to Increase the Share of Black College Graduates with a Major in Engineering or Computer Science," NBER Chapters, in: US Engineering in a Global Economy, pages 87-128, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Debayan Pakrashi & Paul Frijters, 2017. "Migration and Discrimination in Urban China: A Decomposition Approach," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 63(4), pages 821-840, December.
    7. Wolf, Marianne McGarry & Qenani-Petrela, Eivis, 2004. "An Examination of Gender Wage Differences Among Graduates of the Agribusiness Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California," 2004 Annual meeting, August 1-4, Denver, CO 20412, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    8. Light, Audrey & Schreiner, Sydney, 2019. "College major, college coursework, and post-college wages," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    9. Nabanita Datta Gupta & Ronald L. Oaxaca & Nina Smith, 2006. "Swimming Upstream, Floating Downstream: Comparing Women's Relative Wage Progress in the United States and Denmark," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 59(2), pages 243-266, January.
    10. Marlene Kim, 2013. "Race and ethnicity in the workplace," Chapters, in: Deborah M. Figart & Tonia L. Warnecke (ed.), Handbook of Research on Gender and Economic Life, chapter 14, pages 218-235, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Hamermesh, Daniel S. & Donald, Stephen G., 2008. "The effect of college curriculum on earnings: An affinity identifier for non-ignorable non-response bias," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 144(2), pages 479-491, June.
    12. Daniel S. Hamermesh & Stephen G. Donald, 2004. "The Effect of College Curriculum on Earnings: Accounting for Non-Ignorable Non-Response Bias," NBER Working Papers 10809, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Sungjin Cho & Jihye Kam & Soohyung Lee, 2018. "Efficient Supply Of Human Capital: Role Of College Major," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 63(05), pages 1319-1343, December.
    14. Wayne A. Grove & Andrew Hussey & Michael Jetter, 2011. "The Gender Pay Gap Beyond Human Capital: Heterogeneity in Noncognitive Skills and in Labor Market Tastes," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 46(4), pages 827-874.

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