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Selectivity and the gender wage gap decomposition in the presence of a joint decision process

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  • Schafgans, Marcia M. A.
  • Stelcnery, Morton

Abstract

In this paper we revisit the gender decomposition of wages in the presence of selection bias. We show that when labor market participation decisions of couples are not independent, the sample selection corrections used in the literature have been incomplete (incorrect). We derive the appropriate sample selection corrections, based on a reduced form model for the joint participation decisions of both spouses. The influence that husbands’ participation decision has on the female participation decision also highlights the importance of using data on both spouses for the analysis of the gender wage gap. Taking account of these issues might influence the outcome of the decomposition analysis and affect the evidence of discrimination. We analyze its potential impact by analyzing the gender earnings differential using Canadian census data.

Suggested Citation

  • Schafgans, Marcia M. A. & Stelcnery, Morton, 2006. "Selectivity and the gender wage gap decomposition in the presence of a joint decision process," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6809, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:6809
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    File URL: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/6809/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. James J. Heckman, 1976. "The Common Structure of Statistical Models of Truncation, Sample Selection and Limited Dependent Variables and a Simple Estimator for Such Models," NBER Chapters, in: Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Volume 5, number 4, pages 475-492, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Louis N. Christofides & Robert Swidinsky, 1994. "Wage Determination by Gender and Visible Minority Status: Evidence from the 1989 LMAS," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 20(1), pages 34-51, March.
    3. Kostas G. Mavromaras & Helmut Rudolph, 1997. "Wage Discrimination in the Reemployment Process," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 32(4), pages 812-860.
    4. Shoshana Neuman & Ronald Oaxaca, 2004. "Wage Decompositions with Selectivity-Corrected Wage Equations: A Methodological Note," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 2(1), pages 3-10, April.
    5. Morton Stelcner & Daniel M. Shapiro, 1997. "Language and Earnings in Quebec: Trends over Twenty Years, 1970-1990," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 23(2), pages 115-140, June.
    6. Oaxaca, Ronald L. & Ransom, Michael R., 1994. "On discrimination and the decomposition of wage differentials," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 5-21, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Biltagy, Marwa, 2019. "Gender wage disparities in Egypt: Evidence from ELMPS 2006 and 2012," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 14-23.
    2. Ikechukwu Darlington Nwaka & Fatma Guven-Lisaniler & Gulcay Tuna, 2016. "Gender wage differences in Nigerian self and paid employment: Do marriage and children matter?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 27(4), pages 490-510, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • C34 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models

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