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The Role of Labor Market Intermittency in Explaining Gender Wage Differentials

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  • Julie L. Hotchkiss
  • M. Melinda Pitts

Abstract

Using the Health and Retirement Survey and standard wage decomposition techniques, this paper finds that the difference in intermittent labor force participation between men and women accounts for 47 percent of the contribution to the wage gap of differences in observed characteristics. Not controlling for intermittent behavior results in too much importance being placed on gender differences in job characteristics.
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  • Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts, 2007. "The Role of Labor Market Intermittency in Explaining Gender Wage Differentials," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(2), pages 417-421, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:97:y:2007:i:2:p:417-421
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.97.2.417
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    Cited by:

    1. Katherine Weisshaar & Tania Cabello-Hutt, 2020. "Labor Force Participation Over the Life Course: The Long-Term Effects of Employment Trajectories on Wages and the Gendered Payoff to Employment," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(1), pages 33-60, February.
    2. Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts & Mary Beth Walker, 2017. "Impact of first birth career interruption on earnings: evidence from administrative data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(35), pages 3509-3522, July.
    3. Robst, John, 2008. "Childhood sexual abuse and the gender wage gap," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 99(3), pages 549-551, June.
    4. Oyewale, Peter Oluwaseun, 2019. "Gender Inequality and its Implications on Economic Development of South Western Nigeria," International Journal of Publication and Social Studies, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 4(2), pages 48-55, June.
    5. Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts, 2007. "Evidence of demand factors in the determination of the labor market intermittency penalty," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2007-16, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    6. Andrej Cupák & Pavel Ciaian & d'Artis Kancs, 2021. "Comparing the immigrant-native pay gap: A novel evidence from home and host countries," EERI Research Paper Series EERI RP 2021/05, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.
    7. John Bailey Jones & Minhee Kim & Byoung G. Park, 2020. "The Wage Penalty for Married Women of Career Interruptions: Evidence from the 1970s and the 1990s," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 82(4), pages 783-807, August.
    8. Getinet Astatike Haile, 2021. "Men, women and unions," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 201-217, May.
    9. Héctor Pifarré i Arolas, 2017. "A cohort perspective of the effect of unemployment on fertility," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(4), pages 1211-1239, October.
    10. Ariel J. Binder & David Lam, 2022. "Is There a Male-Breadwinner Norm? The Hazards of Inferring Preferences from Marriage Market Outcomes," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(6), pages 1885-1914.
    11. Burbano, Vanessa & Padilla, Nicolas & Meier, Stephan, 2020. "Gender Differences in Preferences for Meaning at Work," IZA Discussion Papers 13053, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. W. David Allen, 2015. "The Demand for Younger and Older Workers," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 16(2), pages 127-158, February.
    13. Julie Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts, 2010. "The demand side of the penalty for intermittent labour market behaviour," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(6), pages 531-535.
    14. Jung, SeEun & Choe, Chung & Oaxaca, Ronald L., 2018. "Gender wage gaps and risky vs. secure employment: An experimental analysis," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 112-121.
    15. Van Ha Le & Jakob De Haan & Erik Dietzenbacher, 2018. "Industry Wages Across Countries and Over Time: A New Database of Micro Survey Data," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(1), pages 1-25, March.
    16. Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts & Mary Beth Walker, 2008. "Working with children? the probability of mothers exiting the workforce at time of birth," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2008-08, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    17. Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts & Mary Beth Walker, 2011. "To work or not to work: the economics of a mother's dilemma," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2011-02, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    18. Haile, Getinet Astatike, 2016. "Intergenerational Mobility in Income and Economic Status in Ethiopia," IZA Discussion Papers 10047, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. M. Melinda Pitts, 2021. "Where Are They Now? Workers with Young Children during COVID-19," Policy Hub, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, vol. 2021(10), September.
    20. Joseph, Olivier & Pailhé, Ariane & Recotillet, Isabelle & Solaz, Anne, 2013. "The economic impact of taking short parental leave: Evaluation of a French reform," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 63-75.

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