The gender earnings gap in Britain: Including the workplace

Karen Mumford; Peter N. Smith

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x

The gender earnings gap in Britain: Including the workplace

Karen Mumford, Peter N. Smith

Economics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The earnings gap between male and female employees is substantial and lingering. Using linked data for Britain, in this paper we show that an important contribution to this gap is made by the workplace in which the employee works. Evidence for workplace and occupational segregation as partial explanations of the earnings gap is presented. Having allowed also for individual worker characteristics there remains a substantial within-workplace and within-occupation gender gap. The contribution of these factors, as well as the earnings gap itself, differ significantly across sectors of the labour market. The relative unimportance of occupational segregation and the large remaining gender gap suggest that stronger enforcement of equal pay legislation is likely to be the most appropriate policy response.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	653-672
Number of pages	20
Journal	Manchester school
Volume	75
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x
Publication status	Published - Dec 2007

Keywords

WAGE
DISCRIMINATION
EMPLOYER

Access to Document

10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x/abstract

Cite this

@article{fe6e6b60e92b4e348ea672a0217e5f1b,

title = "The gender earnings gap in Britain: Including the workplace",

abstract = "The earnings gap between male and female employees is substantial and lingering. Using linked data for Britain, in this paper we show that an important contribution to this gap is made by the workplace in which the employee works. Evidence for workplace and occupational segregation as partial explanations of the earnings gap is presented. Having allowed also for individual worker characteristics there remains a substantial within-workplace and within-occupation gender gap. The contribution of these factors, as well as the earnings gap itself, differ significantly across sectors of the labour market. The relative unimportance of occupational segregation and the large remaining gender gap suggest that stronger enforcement of equal pay legislation is likely to be the most appropriate policy response.",

keywords = "WAGE, DISCRIMINATION, EMPLOYER",

author = "Karen Mumford and Smith, {Peter N.}",

year = "2007",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x",

language = "English",

volume = "75",

pages = "653--672",

journal = "Manchester school",

issn = "1463-6786",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "6",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The gender earnings gap in Britain

T2 - Including the workplace

AU - Mumford, Karen

AU - Smith, Peter N.

PY - 2007/12

Y1 - 2007/12

N2 - The earnings gap between male and female employees is substantial and lingering. Using linked data for Britain, in this paper we show that an important contribution to this gap is made by the workplace in which the employee works. Evidence for workplace and occupational segregation as partial explanations of the earnings gap is presented. Having allowed also for individual worker characteristics there remains a substantial within-workplace and within-occupation gender gap. The contribution of these factors, as well as the earnings gap itself, differ significantly across sectors of the labour market. The relative unimportance of occupational segregation and the large remaining gender gap suggest that stronger enforcement of equal pay legislation is likely to be the most appropriate policy response.

AB - The earnings gap between male and female employees is substantial and lingering. Using linked data for Britain, in this paper we show that an important contribution to this gap is made by the workplace in which the employee works. Evidence for workplace and occupational segregation as partial explanations of the earnings gap is presented. Having allowed also for individual worker characteristics there remains a substantial within-workplace and within-occupation gender gap. The contribution of these factors, as well as the earnings gap itself, differ significantly across sectors of the labour market. The relative unimportance of occupational segregation and the large remaining gender gap suggest that stronger enforcement of equal pay legislation is likely to be the most appropriate policy response.

KW - WAGE

KW - DISCRIMINATION

KW - EMPLOYER

U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01040.x

M3 - Article

SN - 1463-6786

VL - 75

SP - 653

EP - 672

JO - Manchester school

JF - Manchester school

IS - 6

ER -