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Gender Wage Differentials in Italy: a Structural Estimation Approach

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  • G. Sulis

Abstract

This paper studies gender wage differentials by providing a maximum likelihood structural estimation of the frictional parameters of an equilibrium search model with on-the-job search and firm heterogeneity. In a second step, I also consider the role of discrimination. Results indicate higher level of search frictions for women, this result is confirmed by various robustness checks, and by different specification and estimation strategies. I also find that the resulting mapping from productivity to wages for men is highly non linear, while for women it is almost linear. Search, productivity, and discrimination play different roles in shaping the gender differential depending on the specification and estimation of the model.

Suggested Citation

  • G. Sulis, 2007. "Gender Wage Differentials in Italy: a Structural Estimation Approach," Working Paper CRENoS 200715, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    • Handle: RePEc:cns:cnscwp:200715
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    Cited by:

    1. Marilena Furno, 2020. "Returns to Education and Gender Wage Gap Across Quantiles in Italy," Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, vol. 12(2), pages 145-169, June.
    2. Giovanni Sulis, 2011. "What can monopsony explain of the gender wage differential in Italy?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(4), pages 446-470, July.
    3. Caliendo, Marco & Lee, Wang-Sheng & Mahlstedt, Robert, 2017. "The gender wage gap and the role of reservation wages: New evidence for unemployed workers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 161-173.
    4. Manuela Deidda & Adriana Di Liberto & Marta Foddi & Giovanni Sulis, 2015. "Employment subsidies, informal economy and women’s transition into work in a depressed area: evidence from a matching approach," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-25, December.
    5. Marilena Furno, 2014. "Returns to education and gender gap," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5), pages 628-649, September.
    6. Katie Meara & Francesco Pastore & Allan Webster, 2020. "The gender pay gap in the USA: a matching study," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 271-305, January.
    7. Alexander S. Kritikos & Mika Maliranta & Veera Nippala & Satu Nurmi, 2024. "Does gender of firm ownership matter? Female entrepreneurs and the gender pay gap," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-31, June.
    8. Marcela Perticará & Mauricio Tejada, 2022. "Sources of gender wage gaps for skilled workers in Latin American countries," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 20(2), pages 439-463, June.
    9. d'Agostino, Giorgio & Patriarca, Fabrizio & Pieroni, Luca & Scarlato, Margherita, 2020. "The perverse effects of hiring credits as a place-based policy: Evidence from Southern Italy," MPRA Paper 102240, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender wage differentials; equilibrium search; discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts

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