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The UK Gender Pay Gap 1997–2015: What Is the Role of the Public Sector?

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  • Melanie Jones
  • Gerry Makepeace
  • Victoria Wass

Abstract

The Labour Force Survey is used to examine the influence of sector on the UK gender pay gap 1997–2015. The assessment is twofold: first comparing gender pay gaps within sectors and second through identifying the contribution of the concentration of women in the public sector to the overall gender pay gap. The long†term narrowing of the gender pay gap, which predominately reflects relative improvements in women's productivity†related characteristics, is found to stall in 2010 within each sector. This is considered in the context of claims that public sector austerity represents a critical turning point in progress toward gender equality at work.

Suggested Citation

  • Melanie Jones & Gerry Makepeace & Victoria Wass, 2018. "The UK Gender Pay Gap 1997–2015: What Is the Role of the Public Sector?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 296-319, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indres:v:57:y:2018:i:2:p:296-319
    DOI: 10.1111/irel.12208
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    2. Melanie Jones & Ezgi Kaya, 2022. "The gender pay gap: what can we learn from Northern Ireland? [Women’s labour market participation in Northern Ireland: a re-examination of the ‘traditionalism’ argument]," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(1), pages 94-114.
    3. Alfano Vincenzo & Cicatiello Lorenzo & Gaeta Giuseppe Lucio & Pinto Mauro, 2021. "The Gender Wage Gap among Ph.D. Holders: Evidence from Italy," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(3), pages 1107-1148, July.
    4. Galanakis, Yannis, 2020. "Female Human Capital Mismatch: An extension for the British public sector," GLO Discussion Paper Series 669, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Melanie Jones & Ezgi Kaya, 2024. "Performance‐related pay and the UK gender pay gap," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(4), pages 512-529, October.
    6. Montagna, Catia & Zangelidis, Alexandros, 2023. "Labour market implications of thyroid dysfunctions," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    7. Jones, Melanie K. & Kaya, Ezgi, 2021. "The Gender Pay Gap in UK Medicine," IZA Discussion Papers 14177, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Jones, Melanie K. & Kaya, Ezgi, 2022. "Organisational Gender Pay Gaps in the UK: What Happened Post-transparency?," IZA Discussion Papers 15342, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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