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Internet use and gender wage gap: evidence from China

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  • Xinxin Ma

    (Hosei University)

Abstract

This study explores the influence of Internet use on the gender wage gap in China by using national longitudinal survey data. A fixed effects and instrumental variable method were employed to address individual heterogeneity and other endogeneity problems. The study contributes in the form of four key conclusions. First, considering the endogeneity problems, the return to Internet use is higher for men than for women, unlike the results derived using the ordinary least squares model, which indicates the opposite. The individual heterogeneity problem considerably affects the results, thus suggesting a bias in earlier studies. The results of robustness checks based on the Internet use frequency for different purposes confirm the conclusions. Second, the gender difference in return to Internet use is higher in the low-education group and older age cohorts. Third, both the components—the gender disparity in Internet access and gender difference in return to Internet use—widen the gender wage gap, with the gender difference in return to Internet use having a higher impact. Fourth, the effects of these two components on the gender wage gap vary with the educational attainment and age cohorts.

Suggested Citation

  • Xinxin Ma, 2022. "Internet use and gender wage gap: evidence from China," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 56(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jlabrs:v:56:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1186_s12651-022-00320-9
    DOI: 10.1186/s12651-022-00320-9
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    2. Xose Picatoste & Anabela Mesquita & Fernando González-Laxe, 2023. "Gender wage gap, quality of earnings and gender digital divide in the European context," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 50(2), pages 301-321, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender wage gap; Internet use; Return to Internet use; Internet access; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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