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The gender wage gap in Austria: eppur si muove!

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  • René Böheim
  • Klemens Himpele
  • Helmut Mahringer
  • Christine Zulehner

Abstract

We examine the change of the gender wage gap in Austria between 2002 and 2007 using Juhn et al. (Workers and their wages, AEI Press, Washington DC, pp 107–143, 1991 ) decomposition. We analyze data from Austrian tax records which we merge with social security records and Austrian micro-censuses of the years 2002 and 2007. We find that the gender wage gap declined from 21 % in 2002 to 18 % in 2007. The main determinant of this decline is the relative improvement of women’s unobserved characteristics. The decline of the gender wage gap is also due to women having attained more formal education and to a convergence of men’s and women’s returns to education. Women’s improved educational attainments were partly offset by a shift in the demand for skilled workers that disadvantaged unskilled workers, most of whom are women, resulting in a moderate decrease of the gender pay gap over these years. Robustness checks confirm our results. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Suggested Citation

  • René Böheim & Klemens Himpele & Helmut Mahringer & Christine Zulehner, 2013. "The gender wage gap in Austria: eppur si muove!," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 40(4), pages 585-606, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:40:y:2013:i:4:p:585-606
    DOI: 10.1007/s10663-012-9203-x
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    2. Gerhard Fenz & Christian Ragacs & Alfred Stiglbauer, 2019. "Aggregate wage developments in Austria since the introduction of the euro," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 19/Q1-Q2, pages 41-56.
    3. Fessler, Pirmin & Schneebaum, Alyssa, 2016. "The Returns to Preschool Attendance," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 233, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    4. Rauf Gönenç & Oliver Röhn & Christian Beer & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Responding to Key Well-being Challenges in Austria," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1080, OECD Publishing.
    5. Vassil, Kristjan & Eamets, Raul & Mõtsmees, Pille, 2014. "Socio-demographic Model of Gender Gap in Expected and Actual Wages in Estonia," IZA Discussion Papers 8604, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Silvia Rocha-Akis, 2015. "Verteilungseffekte der Einkommensteuerreform 2015/16," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 88(5), pages 387-398, May.
    7. Jaanika Meriküll & Pille Mõtsmees, 2017. "Do you get what you ask? The gender gap in desired and realised wages," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(6), pages 893-908, September.
    8. Christine Mayrhuber & Silvia Rocha-Akis, 2014. "Niedriglohnbeschäftigung und Sozialversicherungsabgaben," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 60727, August.
    9. Christine Mayrhuber & Christian Glocker & Thomas Horvath & Silvia Rocha-Akis, 2015. "Entwicklung und Verteilung der Einkommen in Österreich," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 50897, August.
    10. Gerhard Fenz & Christian Ragacs & Alfred Stiglbauer, 2019. "Aggregate wage developments in Austria since the introduction of the euro," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q-1-Q2/19, pages 41-56.
    11. Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Ulrike Famira-Mühlberger & Thomas Horvath & Ulrike Huemer, 2020. "Gleichstellungsindex Arbeitsmarkt. Eine Analyse des Geschlechterverhältnisses in Österreich – Aktualisierung 2020," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 66683, August.
    12. Silvia Rocha-Akis, 2015. "The Distributional Effects of the 2015-16 Tax Reform," WIFO Bulletin, WIFO, vol. 20(21), pages 238-249, December.
    13. Rainer Eppel & Ulrike Famira-Mühlberger & Julia Bock-Schappelwein, 2014. "Kennzeichen des österreichischen Arbeitsmarktes im EU-Vergleich," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 87(11), pages 755-766, November.
    14. René Böheim & Marian Fink & Christine Zulehner, 2021. "Die Entwicklung des Lohnunterschiedes zwischen Frauen und Männern in Österreich von 2005 bis 2019," WIFO Research Briefs 2, WIFO.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender wage differentials; Wage inequality; Decomposition; Matched employer-employee data; J31; J71;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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