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Exploring Gender Differences in Employment and Wage Trends Among Less-Skilled Workers

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  • Rebecca M. Blank
  • Heidi Shierholz

Abstract

In contrast to less-skilled men, less-skilled women have experienced growing labor force involvement and moderate wage increases. Compared to more-skilled women, less-skilled women have fallen behind. We investigated the reasons behind these trends in labor force participation and wages for male and female workers of different skill levels over the past 25 years, from 1979-2004. We find that less-skilled women have found themselves in an 'intermediate' place in the labor market. Like less-skilled men, they experienced deteriorating returns to education but, unlike the men, they benefited from a growing positive impact of accumulated experience on labor market outcomes. More-skilled women experienced both growing returns to education and greater accumulation of experience, leading to faster wage growth. In addition, at the same time that experience levels have grown, the returns to experience on wages and labor force participation have also risen among less-skilled women, while the returns to experience have declined among less-skilled men. The negative effect of children and marital status on wages and labor force participation has also declined markedly among women of all skill levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca M. Blank & Heidi Shierholz, 2006. "Exploring Gender Differences in Employment and Wage Trends Among Less-Skilled Workers," NBER Working Papers 12494, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:12494
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    Cited by:

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    2. Hélène Périvier, 2007. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux Etats-Unis: une mise en perspective avec la France et la Suède," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-00972845, HAL.
    3. Hélène Périvier, 2007. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux Etats-Unis: une mise en perspective avec la France et la Suède," Working Papers hal-00972845, HAL.
    4. Kristin E. Smith, 2014. "The Ups and Downs in Women's Employment: Shifting Composition or Behavior from 1970 to 2010?," Upjohn Working Papers 14-211, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    5. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux États-Unis," Documents de Travail de l'OFCE 2008-12, Observatoire Francais des Conjonctures Economiques (OFCE).
    6. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux Etats-Unis," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-00973039, HAL.
    7. Julie L. Hotchkiss & John C. Robertson, 2006. "Asymmetric labor force participation decisions over the business cycle: evidence from U.S. microdata," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2006-08, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    8. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6142 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Francisco Perez-Arce & Maria J. Prados & Tarra Kohli, 2018. "The Decline in the U.S. Labor Force Participation Rate," Working Papers wp385, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    10. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-08-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Hélène Périvier, 2009. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux États-Unis," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-02081114, HAL.
    12. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hahqp4sa4 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6142 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/1203 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Janet Currie & Irwin Garfinkel, 2011. "The Great Recession and Material Hardship," Working Papers 1312, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    16. Kenneth Smith, 2011. "Labor force participation in the Soviet and post-Soviet Baltic States," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 335-355, November.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

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

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