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Does the Gender Wage Gap Actually Reflect Taste Discrimination Against Women?

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  • Molly Maloney
  • David Neumark

Abstract

One explanation of the gender wage gap is taste discrimination, as in Becker (1957). We test for taste discrimination by constructing a novel measure of misogyny using Google Trends data on searches that include derogatory terms for women. We find—surprisingly, in our view—that misogyny is an economically meaningful and statistically significant predictor of the wage gap. We also test more explicit implications of taste discrimination. The data are inconsistent with the Becker taste discrimination model, based on the tests used in Charles and Guryan (2008). But the data are consistent with the effects of taste discrimination against women in search models (Black, 1995), in which discrimination on the part of even a small group of misogynists can result in a wage gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Molly Maloney & David Neumark, 2025. "Does the Gender Wage Gap Actually Reflect Taste Discrimination Against Women?," NBER Working Papers 33405, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33405
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J29 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Other
    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination

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