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Evolution of the gender earnings gap among Canadian university graduates

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  • Ross Finnie
  • Ted Wannell

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of the gender earnings gap among recent Canadian Bachelor's level university graduates. The overall gap as of two years leaving university narrowed significantly across successive cohorts of graduates, but widened significantly from two to five years out for all groups. Differences in the explanatory variables 'explain' account for between 40% and essentially the entire gap across the different periods, this portion rising from two to five years out and across cohorts. By the final group, all of the gap is thus 'explained' at the two-year point in time, and most of it is explained at the five-year mark, meaning that labour market returns (measured in this manner) are largely gender-neutral for the last group of graduates. Hours of work is the single most important influence, while past work experience, job characteristics, family status, and province of residence and language have smaller and more mixed effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Ross Finnie & Ted Wannell, 2004. "Evolution of the gender earnings gap among Canadian university graduates," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(17), pages 1967-1978.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:36:y:2004:i:17:p:1967-1978
    DOI: 10.1080/0003684042000191138
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Denise J. Doiron & W. Craig Riddell, 1994. "The Impact of Unionization on Male-Female Earnings Differences in Canada," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 29(2), pages 504-534.
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    5. Kevin T. Reilly & Tony S. Wirjanto, 1999. "The Proportion of Females in the Establishment: Discrimination, Preferences and Technology," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 25(s1), pages 73-94, November.
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    7. Michael P. Kidd & Michael Shannon, 1994. "An Update and Extension of the Canadian Evidence on Gender Wage Differentials," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 27(4), pages 918-938, November.
    8. Peter Dolton & Donal O'Neill & Olive Sweetman, 1996. "Gender Differences in the Changing Labor Market: The Role of Legislation and Inequality in Changing the Wage Gap for Qualified Workers in the United Kingdom," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 31(3), pages 549-565.
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    Cited by:

    1. Beyza Ural & William Horrace & Jin Hwa Jung, 2009. "Inter-industry gender wage gaps by knowledge intensity: discrimination and technology in Korea," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(11), pages 1437-1452.
    2. Brahim Boudarbat & Marie Connolly, 2013. "The gender wage gap among recent post‐secondary graduates in Canada: a distributional approach," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(3), pages 1037-1065, August.
    3. 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.
    4. Ali Ait Si Mhamed & Rita Kaša & Zane Cunska, 2012. "Student debt levels and income of University of Latvia graduates: Prospects for income-contingent loan repayment by the field of studies and gender," Baltic Journal of Economics, Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies, vol. 12(2), pages 73-88, December.
    5. Yue Ma & Ying Chu Ng, 2008. "Bootstrapping statistical inferences of decomposition methods for gender earnings differentials," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(12), pages 1583-1593.
    6. Coulombe, Simon & Frenette, Marc, 2007. "Has Higher Education Among Young Women Substantially Reduced the Gender Gap in Employment and Earnings?," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 2007301e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.

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