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Is there a motherhood penalty? Decomposing the family wage gap in Colombia

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  • Luis Fernando Gamboa

    (Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia)

  • Blanca Zuluaga

    (Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an estimation and decomposition of the motherhood wage penalty in Colombia. Our empirical strategy is based on the matching procedure designed by Ñopo (2008) for the case of gender wage gaps. This is an alternative procedure to the well-known Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method. The cross-section data of the Colombian Living Standard Survey allows us to decompose the wage gap in four components, according to the characteristics of mothers and non-mothers. We found that mothers earn, in average, 1:73% less than their counterparts without children and that this gap slightly decreases as the group includes older women. Taking into account that this procedure is sensitive to the set of variables included in the matching, several specifications are tested. The main result of the paper is obtained when considering schooling as a matching variable. Once schooling is included, the unexplained part of the gap considerably decreases and turns non significant. Thus, we do not find evidence of wage discrimination against mothers in Colombia.

Suggested Citation

  • Luis Fernando Gamboa & Blanca Zuluaga, 2011. "Is there a motherhood penalty? Decomposing the family wage gap in Colombia," Working Papers 220, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    • Handle: RePEc:inq:inqwps:ecineq2011-220
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    Cited by:

    1. Nancy Daza & Luis Fernando Gamboa, 2013. "An approximation to the Informal-formal wage gap in Colombia 2008-2012," Documentos de Trabajo 10990, Universidad del Rosario.
    2. Elizabeth Dolan & Elena Stancanelli, 2021. "Women’s Employment, Wages, and the Household," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 101-106, July.
    3. Nancy Daza & Luis Fernando Gamboa, 2013. "Informal-formal wage gaps in Colombia," Working Papers 301, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    4. Rosangela Bando, 2019. "Evidence-based gender equality policy and pay in Latin America and the Caribbean: progress and challenges," Latin American Economic Review, Springer;Centro de Investigaciòn y Docencia Económica (CIDE), vol. 28(1), pages 1-23, December.
    5. Grimshaw, Damian. & Rubery, Jill., 2015. "The motherhood pay gap : a review of the issues, theory and international evidence," ILO Working Papers 994873763402676, International Labour Organization.
    6. Soliz Cuevas, Erika Tatiana, 2022. "Penalidad salarial por maternidad: Análisis del efecto de los hijos sobre los ingresos laborales de las mujeres bolivianas del área urbana," Documentos de trabajo 2/2022, Instituto de Investigaciones Socio-Económicas (IISEC), Universidad Católica Boliviana.
    7. repec:ilo:ilowps:487376 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family wage gap; childbearing costs; female wages.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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