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The Evolution Of Gender Earnings Gaps And Discrimination In Urban China, 1988–95

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  • Sylvie DÉMURGER
  • Martin FOURNIER
  • Yi CHEN

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of market liberalization on gender earnings differentials and discrimination against women in urban China at the beginning of the 1990s. The observed stability in the overall gender earnings gap between 1988 and 1995 is shown to result from a complex set of evolutions across enterprises, earnings distributions, and time. Our results highlight the interplay of opposing forces, with economic reforms contributing to changes in managers’ behaviors in different dimensions. On the one hand, by bringing more competition, liberalization favored a reduction in discriminating behaviors in both urban collectives and foreign‐invested enterprises; on the other hand, by relaxing institutional rules, it led to a loosening of the government's egalitarian wage‐setting policies, leaving more space for discrimination in state‐owned enterprises.

Suggested Citation

  • Sylvie DÉMURGER & Martin FOURNIER & Yi CHEN, 2007. "The Evolution Of Gender Earnings Gaps And Discrimination In Urban China, 1988–95," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 45(1), pages 97-121, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:deveco:v:45:y:2007:i:1:p:97-121
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1049.2007.00031.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Yang & Sylvie Demurger & Shi Li, 2011. "Do Employees in the Public Sector Still Enjoy Earnings Advantages?," University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) Working Papers 201118, University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP).
    2. Gustafsson, Björn & Wan, Haiyuan, 2020. "Wage growth and inequality in urban China: 1988–2013," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    3. Rickne, Johanna, 2010. "Gender, Wages, and Social Security in China’s Industrial Sector," Working Paper Series 827, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    4. Cunling Gao & Hongfa Yi & Jinfu Wang & Shanshan Han, 2023. "Framing of female medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of the Chinese official media," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Quheng Deng & Shi Li, 2009. "What Lies behind Rising Earnings Inequality in Urban China? Regression-based Decompositions," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 55(3-4), pages 598-623.
    6. Björn Gustafsson & Haiyuan Wan, 2018. "Wage growth and inequality in urban China: 1988–2013," WIDER Working Paper Series 163, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Golley, Jane & Meng, Xin, 2011. "Has China run out of surplus labour?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 555-572.
    8. Zhang, Jian & Jin, Songqing & Li, Tao & Wang, Haigang, 2021. "Gender discrimination in China: Experimental evidence from the job market for college graduates," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 819-835.
    9. Sun, Jiawei & Ma, Chao & Song, Ze & Gu, Hai, 2013. "Inequality of Opportunity in Health Care in China: Suggestion on the Construction of the Urban-Rural Integrated Medical Insurance System," MPRA Paper 49389, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. repec:ags:aaea22:335534 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Chen, Shih-Chih & Jiang, Wei & Ma, Yin, 2020. "Decent work in a transition economy: An empirical study of employees in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    12. Chi, Wei & Li, Bo, 2008. "Glass ceiling or sticky floor? Examining the gender earnings differential across the earnings distribution in urban China, 1987-2004," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 243-263, June.
    13. Chi, Wei & Li, Bo & Yu, Qiumei, 2011. "Decomposition of the increase in earnings inequality in urban China: A distributional approach," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 299-312, September.
    14. repec:ilo:ilowps:487966 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Ebo Botchway & Kofi Fred Asiedu, 2020. "Ownership type and earnings gap decomposition: Evidence from the Ghanaian labor market," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 32(4), pages 619-631, December.
    16. Kampon Adireksombat & Zheng Fang & Chris Sakellariou, 2016. "The Evolution Of Gender Wage Differentials In Thailand: 1991–2007 — An Application Of Unconditional Quantile Regression," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 61(05), pages 1-30, December.
    17. Démurger, Sylvie & Li, Shi & Yang, Juan, 2012. "Earnings differentials between the public and private sectors in China: Exploring changes for urban local residents in the 2000s," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 138-153.
    18. Björn Gustafsson & Haiyuan Wan, 2018. "Wage growth and inequality in urban China: 1988-2013," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-163, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Dasgupta, Sukti. & Matsumoto, Makiko. & Xia, Cuntao., 2015. "Women in the labour market in China," ILO Working Papers 994879663402676, International Labour Organization.
    20. Shi Li & Jin Song, 2011. "Changes in the Gender Wage Gap in Urban China, 1995-2007," University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) Working Papers 201120, University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP).
    21. Bjorn Gustafsson & Sai Ding, 2011. "Unemployment and the Rising Number of Non-Workers in Urban China: Causes and Distributional Consequences," University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) Working Papers 201117, University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP).

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