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Sex Differences in Tenure Profiles: Effects of Shared Firm-Specific Investment

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  • Becker, Elizabeth
  • Lindsay, Cotton M

Abstract

This article employs a model of Masanori Hashimoto with extensions by Donald Parsons to analyze variation in tenure by sex, age, and firm type. Fixed-wage contracts eliminate postcontractual opportunism associated with firm-specific human capital investment. However, such contracts result in inefficient quits and terminations. Calibration of the sharing of this investment between workers and employers minimizes the costs of these inefficient separations. Moreover, this optimal sharing rate varies systematically with the characteristics listed above. These tenure-slope implications are tested with favorable results. Copyright 1994 by University of Chicago Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Becker, Elizabeth & Lindsay, Cotton M, 1994. "Sex Differences in Tenure Profiles: Effects of Shared Firm-Specific Investment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(1), pages 98-118, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:v:12:y:1994:i:1:p:98-118
    DOI: 10.1086/298345
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nickell, Stephen J, 1976. "Wage Structures and Quit Rates," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 17(1), pages 191-203, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Heywood, John S. & Wei, Xiangdong, 1997. "Piece-Rate Payment Schemes and the Employment of Women: The Case of Hong Kong," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 237-255, October.
    2. Frank Walsh & Eric Strobl, 1999. "Changes in the gender wage gap and the returns to firm specific human capital," Working Papers 199907, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    3. Kai Liu, 2016. "Explaining the gender wage gap: Estimates from a dynamic model of job changes and hours changes," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 7(2), pages 411-447, July.
    4. Parrado, E. & Wolff, E., 1999. "Occupational and Industry Mobility in the United States, 1969-1992," Working Papers 99-20, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University.
    5. Parrado, Eric & Caner, Asena & Wolff, Edward N., 2007. "Occupational and industrial mobility in the United States," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 435-455, June.
    6. Elizabeth Becker & Cotton M. Lindsay, 2005. "The limits of the wage impact of discrimination," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(8), pages 513-525.
    7. Munasinghe, Lalith & Reif, Tania & Henriques, Alice, 2008. "Gender gap in wage returns to job tenure and experience," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 1296-1316, December.
    8. Chowdhury, Sanjib & Schulz, Eric & Milner, Morgan & Van De Voort, David, 2014. "Core employee based human capital and revenue productivity in small firms: An empirical investigation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(11), pages 2473-2479.
    9. Eric Parrado & Asena Caner & Edward N. Wolff, 2005. "Occupational and Industrial Mobility in the United States 1969–93," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_416, Levy Economics Institute.
    10. Dorothea Alewell, 1998. "Warum finanzieren Arbeitgeber transferierbare Weiterbildung?," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 315-335, April.
    11. Bell, David & Ritchie, Felix, 1998. "Female earnings and gender differentials in Great Britain 1977-1994," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 331-357, September.
    12. Hessel Oosterbeek & Edwin Leuven, 2001. "Firm-Specific Human Capital as a Shared Investment: Comment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(1), pages 342-347, March.
    13. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pc:p:3143-3259 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Fang, Zheng & Sakellariou, Chris, 2015. "Discrimination or Unobserved Differences in Characteristics?-An Empirical Study on Wage Inequality," MPRA Paper 68568, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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