The Impact of Gender Segregation on Male-Female Wage Differentials: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data for Spain

37 Pages Posted: 28 Sep 2005

See all articles by Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes

San Diego State University - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Sara de la Rica

Universidad del Pais Vasco; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: September 2005

Abstract

This paper presents new evidence on the role of gender segregation within industry, occupation, establishment, and occupation-establishment cells in explaining gender wage differentials of full-time salaried workers in Spain during 1995 and 2002. Using data from the Spanish Wage Structure Surveys, we find that the raw gender wage gap decreased from 0.26 to 0.22 over the course of seven years. However, even after accounting for workers' human capital, job characteristics, and female segregation into lower-paying industries, occupations, establishments, and occupations within establishments, women still earned approximately 13 percent and 16 percent less than similar male counterparts as of 1995 and 2002, respectively. Most of the gender wage gap is attributable to workers' sex. Yet, female segregation into lower-paying occupations within establishments, establishments and industries accounted for a sizable and growing fraction of the female-male wage differential.

Keywords: gender wage differentials, female segregation, matched employer-employee data

JEL Classification: J16, J7

Suggested Citation

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina and de la Rica, Sara, The Impact of Gender Segregation on Male-Female Wage Differentials: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data for Spain (September 2005). IZA Discussion Paper No. 1742, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=814505 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.814505

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes

San Diego State University - Department of Economics ( email )

5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182
United States
619-594-1663 (Phone)
619-594-5062 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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

Sara De la Rica (Contact Author)

Universidad del Pais Vasco ( email )

Barrio Sarriena s/n
Leioa, Bizkaia 48940
Spain

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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

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