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Gender Pay Gaps across STEM Fields of Study

Author

Listed:
  • Zając, Tomasz

    (University of Queensland)

  • Magda, Iga

    (Warsaw School of Economics)

  • Bożykowski, M.

    (University of Warsaw)

  • Chłoń-Domińczak, Agnieszka

    (Warsaw School of Economics)

  • Jasiński, M.

    (University of Warsaw)

Abstract

Gender pay gaps in earnings are well-documented in the literature. However, new factors contributing to women's lower earnings have emerged and remain under-researched. Educational choices are among them. We use a rich administrative dataset from Poland, a Central Eastern European country with high tertiary education enrolment and high female employment rates among young women, to study gender pay gaps among tertiary education graduates with degrees in different fields of study while paying particular attention to STEM fields graduates (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We find that already in the first year after graduation, women earn over 20% less than men. This gap widens over time. We also find significant variation across different STEM fields both in the size of the gender pay gap and in how it changes over time. The gap is largest among mathematics graduates, at over 25%; while it does not exceed 3% among chemical and Earth sciences graduates. As these differences narrow only slightly within the first four years of graduates' working careers, policymakers' efforts to increase the number of women earning STEM degrees may not be enough to achieve gender pay equality.

Suggested Citation

  • Zając, Tomasz & Magda, Iga & Bożykowski, M. & Chłoń-Domińczak, Agnieszka & Jasiński, M., 2023. "Gender Pay Gaps across STEM Fields of Study," IZA Discussion Papers 16613, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16613
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    STEM; labor market; higher education; gender pay gap; field of study; Poland;
    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
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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