Gender Differences in Language Skills and Wage Disparities

This chapter examines gender disparities in foreign language learning and proficiency, as well as their implications for labor market outcomes. Women are generally better at verbal abilities and are more frequently enrolled in language studies. However, men often seem to outperform women in measurable foreign language proficiency, earning higher returns for these skills. This paradox stems from a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, including gender biases in workers’ self-assessments of their abilities and standardized test designs. Furthermore, labor markets amplify these disparities, as men more often use foreign language as complementary skills to other technical knowledge, as engineering, facilitating them to access higher-paying positions, where language proficiency complements their specialized expertise. In contrast, women often prioritize foreign language skills as central to their careers. Hence, despite advances in educational equity, barriers such as occupational segregation and the glass ceiling continue to hinder women’s ability to fully capitalize on their linguistic skills in the labor market. Comprehensive reforms in education and labor policies, but also better academic guidance policies, are essential for women to make decisions that enable them to better capitalize on their verbal skills.