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The Origin and Scale of Gender Inequality: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

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  • Radford, Jason

Abstract

In the United States, women make roughly 75% of what men make. This inequality is reduced to roughly 92% once factors like occupation and job performance are controlled. The central debate over which number is correct has been whether these occupational and behavioral inequalities are related to gender or incidental to it. This study uses a natural experiment from a crowdfunding website for public school teachers to answer this question. The study shows there is no occupational and behavioral inequality in the likelihood of funding when teachers are anonymous. Yet, there is substantial inequality after they are identified as “Mr. Smith” or “Ms. Jones.” These results indicate gender gaps by occupation and behavior only occur as a result of exposure to gender and that estimates of gender inequality are likely under-inflated by thirty percent.

Suggested Citation

  • Radford, Jason, 2018. "The Origin and Scale of Gender Inequality: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," SocArXiv ph3w5, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:ph3w5
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/ph3w5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2006. "The U.S. Gender Pay Gap in the 1990S: Slowing Convergence," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 60(1), pages 45-66, October.
    2. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2017. "The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends, and Explanations," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 55(3), pages 789-865, September.
    3. David Card & Ana Rute Cardoso & Patrick Kline, 2016. "Bargaining, Sorting, and the Gender Wage Gap: Quantifying the Impact of Firms on the Relative Pay of Women," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(2), pages 633-686.
    4. Claudia Goldin, 2014. "A Grand Gender Convergence: Its Last Chapter," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1091-1119, April.
    5. repec:pri:indrel:dsp01gb19f581g is not listed on IDEAS
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