The gender wage gap among PhD holders: an empirical examination based on Italian data

Vincenzo Alfano, Lorenzo Cicatiello, Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta and Mauro Pinto

No 393, GLO Discussion Paper Series from Global Labor Organization (GLO)

Abstract: A growing number of academic studies are devoting their attention to the study of the gender wage gap. This paper contributes to the literature by analyzing the existence of this gap specifically among those who hold the highest possible educational qualification, i.e. a PhD. The analysis relies on Italian crosssectional data collected through a highly representative survey of the employment conditions of PhD holders. The econometric analysis is carried out by means of OLS regression, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis and quantile decomposition. Findings suggest that a gender gap in hourly wages exists among PhD holders, that it lies approximately between 5% and 8%, with sizeable differences by sector of employment and field of specialization, and that such a gap is largely unexplained.

Keywords: gender wage gap; return on education; Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition; quantile decomposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J31 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur and nep-gen
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:glodps:393

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