IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/halshs-00080181.html

Why is the gender wage gap in Japan so large compared with France? : a comparison based on decomposition analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Haruhiko Hori

    (JILPT - Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training - Ministry of Labour)

  • Hiroatsu Nohara

    (LEST - Laboratoire d'Economie et de Sociologie du Travail - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to compare in an empirical way the male/female wage gap differential between the following two countries : France, an industrialized country where the disparities between sexes are outstandingly small, and Japan, where they are particularly large. It is also proposed to explore the reasons why the male/female wage gap is so large in Japan in comparison with France. It has been designed as follows. In section 1, we begin by comparing the general features of labour markets in Japan and France. When it comes to the gender wage gaps, it is necessary to take the general structure of wages and the way the labour markets function in each country into account. Based on this comparative description, we will then propose some hypotheses, which will subsequently be tested. In section 2, the econometric method used here, the Juhn-Murphy-Pierce decomposition method, will be presented in detail. In section 3, Concrete analysis will be carried out on individual micro data collected in Japan and France. Decomposion analysis is carried out in order to identify the types of factors mainly responsible for the the gender wage gap differentials between the two countries. Factor decomposition analysis focusing on full-time workers provides the first model. In the second model, occasional part-time workers are introduced into the model. We will then carry out a specific analysis on the male/female wage gap differential between France and Japan in three age groups corresponding to the various phases in the female life cycle. We shall conclude by summarising the most significant results obtained and attempting to deduce some positive policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Haruhiko Hori & Hiroatsu Nohara, 2006. "Why is the gender wage gap in Japan so large compared with France? : a comparison based on decomposition analysis," Post-Print halshs-00080181, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00080181
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00080181v2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00080181v2/document
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Naoki Mitani, 1998. "France: Internal Labour Markets and Wage Structure," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Toshiaki Tachibanaki (ed.), Wage Differentials, chapter 9, pages 271-327, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Hiroatsu Nohara, 2000. "Male and female patterns of labour force participation : a comparison between France and Japan," Post-Print halshs-00391518, HAL.
    3. Jacob Mincer & Solomon Polachek, 1974. "Family Investments in Human Capital: Earnings of Women," NBER Chapters, in: Marriage, Family, Human Capital, and Fertility, pages 76-110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence Kahn, 1995. "The Gender Earnings Gap: Some International Evidence," NBER Chapters, in: Differences and Changes in Wage Structures, pages 105-144, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Becker, Gary S, 1985. "Human Capital, Effort, and the Sexual Division of Labor," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(1), pages 33-58, January.
    6. Polachek, Solomon William, 1981. "Occupational Self-Selection: A Human Capital Approach to Sex Differences in Occupational Structure," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(1), pages 60-69, February.
    7. Richard B. Freeman & Lawrence F. Katz, 1995. "Differences and Changes in Wage Structures," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number free95-1, March.
    8. Paul Ryan, 2001. "The School-to-Work Transition: A Cross-National Perspective," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(1), pages 34-92, March.
    9. Freeman, Richard B. & Katz, Lawrence F. (ed.), 1995. "Differences and Changes in Wage Structures," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226261607.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Astrid Kunze, 2008. "Gender wage gap studies: consistency and decomposition," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 63-76, August.
    2. Solomon W. Polachek & Jun Xiang, 2009. "The Gender Pay Gap across Countries: A Human Capital Approach," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 227, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    3. Blau Francine D & Kahn Lawrence M, 2007. "The Gender Pay Gap," The Economists' Voice, De Gruyter, vol. 4(4), pages 1-6, June.
    4. Harkness, Susan & Waldfogel, Jane, 1999. "The family gap in pay: evidence from seven industrialised countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6481, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Hansen, Jörgen & Wahlberg, Roger, 2000. "Occupational Gender Composition and Wages in Sweden," IZA Discussion Papers 217, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Jane Waldfogel & Susan Harkness, 1999. "The Family Gap in Pay: Evidence from Seven Industrialized Countries," LIS Working papers 219, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    7. Susan Harkness & Jane Waldfogel, 1999. "The Family Gap in Pay: Evidence from Seven Industrialised Countries," CASE Papers 030, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    8. Blau, Francine D. & Kahn, Lawrence M., 1999. "Analyzing the gender pay gap," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 625-646.
    9. Raúl Ramos & Esteban Sanromá & Hipólito Simón, 2014. "Public-Private Sector Wage Differentials by Type of Contract: Evidence from Spain," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 208(1), pages 107-141, March.
    10. Mette Ejrnæs & Astrid Kunze, 2002. "Wage dips and drops around the first birth," 10th International Conference on Panel Data, Berlin, July 5-6, 2002 C2-4, International Conferences on Panel Data.
    11. Jane Waldfogel & Wendy Sigle-Rushton, 2006. "Motherhood and Women’s Earnings in Anglo-American, Continental European, and Nordic Countries," LIS Working papers 454, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    12. David Kucera, 1998. "Unemployment and External and Internal Labor Market Flexibility: A Comparative View of Europe, Japan, and the United States," SCEPA working paper series. 1998-21, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    13. Philippe Adair & Hassiba Gherbi, 2020. "The Youth Gender gap in North Africa: Income differentials and Informal Employment," Erudite Working Paper 2020-06, Erudite.
    14. Molina, José Alberto & Montuenga, Víctor M., 2008. "The Motherhood Wage Penalty in a Mediterranean Country: The Case of Spain," IZA Discussion Papers 3574, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Heinze, Anja & Wolf, Elke, 2006. "Gender Earnings Gap in German Firms: The Impact of Firm Characteristics and Institutions," ZEW Discussion Papers 06-020, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    16. Daniel Münich & Jan Svejnar & Katherine Terrell, 2005. "Returns to Human Capital Under The Communist Wage Grid and During the Transition to a Market Economy," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 87(1), pages 100-123, February.
    17. Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf & Zweimuller, Josef, 1997. "Unequal Assignment and Unequal Promotion in Job Ladders," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 43-71, January.
    18. Johnsen, Julian & Ku, Hyejin, 2020. "Competition and Career Advancement: The Hidden Costs of Paid Leave," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 13/2020, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    19. Günalp, Burak & Cilasun, Seyit Mümin & Acar, Elif Öznur, 2013. "Male-Female Labor Market Participation and the Extent of Gender-Based Wage Discrimination in Turkey," MPRA Paper 51503, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. David Card, 1989. "Deregulation and Labor Earnings in the Airline Industry," Working Papers 627, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00080181. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.