Abstract
The role of occupational segregation in the determination of gender wage differentials is assessed. It is found (1) that occupational segregation plays less of a role in explaining wage differentials than do traditional human capital variables; (2) that earnings profiles generated with data that include a percent female (PF) measure of occupational segregation are not ideal for testing human capital predictions yet nonetheless yield parameters consistent with neoclassical theory; and (3) that lifetime work considerations, such as the degree of one's labor force intermittency, are important in determining both one's occupation and wage. The implications are that government antidiscrimination policies based on outcome measures are in general inefficient. Instead, the government should concentrate on creating incentives for women to participate in the labor market on an equal basis as males.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Beller, A. (1982). “Occupational segregation by sex: determinants and changes”, Journal of Human Resources 17: 371–392.
Butler, R. and J. Heckman (1977). “The impact of government on the labor market status of black americans: a critical review” in F. Block (ed.), Equal Rights and Industrial Relations. Madison: Industrial Relations Research Association.
Chiswick, B., J. Fackler, J. O'Neill and S. Polachek (1974). “The effect of occupation on race and sex differences in hourly earnings”, American Statistical Association Proceedings 219–228.
Cox, D. (1982). “How durable is a woman's human capital: an interoccupational study”, Washington University mimeo.
Edgeworth, F.Y. (1922). “Equal pay to men and women”, Economic Journal 32: 431–457.
England, P. (1982). “The failure of human capital theory to explain occupational sex segregation”, Journal of Human Resources 17: 358–370.
England, P. (1985). “Occupational segregation rejoinder to Polachek”, Journal of Human Resources 20: 441–443.
England, P., G. Farkas, and T. Dou (1986). “Explaining occupational sex seregation and wages: findings from a model of fixed effects”, mimeo.
Filer, R. (1983). “Sexual differences in earnings: the role of individual personalities and tastes”, Journal of Human Resources 18: 82–99.
Fuchs, V. (1971). “Differentials in hourly earnings between men and women”, Monthly Labor Review 94: 9–15.
Goldin, C. (1986). “Monitoring costs and occupational segregation by sex: a historical analysis”, Journal of Labor Economics 4: 1–27.
Johnston, J. (1972). Econometric Method. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill Book Co.
Landes, E. (1977). “Sex differences in wages and employment: a test of the specific capital hypothesis”, Economic Inquiry 15: 523–38.
McDowell, J. (1982). “An analysis of the durability of knowledge concerning science and economics”, Arizona State University Working Paper.
Oppenheimer, V. (1981). “Occupational segregation: an eclectic perspective”, Paper presented at the American Sociological Association Conerence, Toronto, Canada.
Polachek, S. (1978). “Sex differences in college major”, Industrial and Labor Relations Review 31: 498–508.
Polachek, S. (1979a). “Simultaneous equations models of sex discrimination”, in J.R. Moroney (ed.), Income Inequality: Trends and International Comparisons. Lexington, Mass: Lexington Books.
Polachek, S. (1979b). “Occupational segregation among women: theory, evidence and a prognosis”, in C. Lloyd et al. (eds.), Women in the Labor Market. New York: Columbia University Press.
Polachek, S. (1981). “Occupational self-selection: a human capital approach to sex differences in occupational structure”, Review of Economics and Statistics 63: 60–69.
Polachek, S. (1984). “Women in the economy: perspectives on gender inequality”, in Comparable Worth: Issue of the 80s, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
Polachek, S. (1985a). “Occupational segregation: a defense of human capital predictions”, Journal of Human Resources 20: 437–440.
Polachek S. (1985b). “Occupational segregation: reply to England”, Journal of Human Resources 20: 444.
Rathbone, E.J. (1917). “The remuneration of women's services”, Economic Journal 27: 55–68.
Roose, P. (1981). “Marital differences in occupational distribution and attainment”, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of American, Washington, D.C.
Sandell, S. and S. Shapiro (1980). “Work expectations, human capital accumulation, and the wages of young women”, Journal of Human Resources 15: 335–353.
Theil, H. (1969). “Multinominal extension of the linear logit model”, International Economic Review 10: 251–259.
Treiman, D. and H. Hartmann (eds.) (1981). Women, Work and Wages: Equal Pay for Jobs of Equal Value. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences.
Waite, L. and S. Berryman (1985). “Women in nontraditional occupations: choice and turnover”, Rand Report R-3106-FF.
Zalokar, N. (1982). “Male female differences in occupational choice and the demand for general and occupational specific human capital”, mimeo.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Polachek, S.W. Occupational segregation and the gender wage gap. Popul Res Policy Rev 6, 47–67 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124802
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124802