Gender and Racial Wage Gaps in Brazil 1996-2006: Evidence Using a Matching Comparisons Approach

39 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2011

See all articles by Luana Marquez Garcia

Luana Marquez Garcia

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hugo Ñopo

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Paola Salardi

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: May 2009

Abstract

This paper explores the evolution of Brazilian wage gaps by gender and skin color over a decade (1996-2006), using the matching comparison methodology developed by Ñopo (2008). In Brazil, racial wage gaps are more pronounced than those found along the gender divide, although both noticeably decreased over the course of the last decade. The decomposition results show that differences in observable characteristics play a crucial role in explaining wage gaps. While in the case of racial wage gaps, observable human capital characteristics account for most of the observed wage gaps, the observed gender wage gaps have the opposite sign than what the differences in human capital characteristics would predict. In both cases the role of education is prominent.

Suggested Citation

Garcia, Luana Marquez and Nopo, Hugo and Salardi, Paola, Gender and Racial Wage Gaps in Brazil 1996-2006: Evidence Using a Matching Comparisons Approach (May 2009). IDB Working Paper No. 567, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1821918 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1821918

Luana Marquez Garcia (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

No Address Available

Hugo Nopo

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) ( email )

1300 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20577
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Paola Salardi

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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