Subject of Degree and the Gender Wage Differential: Evidence from the UK and Germany

Stephen Machin and Patrick Puhani

No 553, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We show that controlling for subject of degree explains a significant part of the male/female gender wage differential amongst graduates. Using data from the labour force surveys of the United Kingdom and Germany, we find similar results in these two countries: subject of degree explains about 2-4 percent higher wages of male over female graduates after controlling for age, industry, region, part-time and public sector employment. This is a significant part (between 9 to 19 percent) of the overall male/female gender wage gap, and an even larger amount of the part explained by factors entered into wage equations (at around 20 to 29 percent of the explained component).

Keywords: field of major; gender wage gap (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J31 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 14 pages
Date: 2002-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

Published - published in: Economics Letters; 2003, 79 (3), 393-400

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Journal Article: Subject of degree and the gender wage differential: evidence from the UK and Germany (2003)
Working Paper: Subject of Degree and the Gender Wage Differential - Evidence from the UK and Germany (2002)
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