The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives

Wolfgang Keller, Teresa Molina and William Olney

No 28216, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper examines gender differences among top US business executives using a large executive-employer matched data set spanning the last quarter century. Female executives make up 6% of the sample and exhibit more labor market churning — both higher entry and higher exit rates. Unconditionally, women earn 26% less than men, which decreases to 8% once executive characteristics, firm characteristics, and in particular job title are accounted for. We find that female executives are disproportionately represented in firms with more temporal flexibility and female-friendly corporate cultures, but this does not explain the gender pay gap. Rather, corporate culture is correlated with gender pay gaps within firms; specifically the within-firm gender pay gap is significantly smaller at female-friendly firms.

JEL-codes: G30 J33 M14 M52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-ent, nep-eur, nep-gen, nep-hrm and nep-lma
Note: CF LS
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published as Wolfgang Keller & Teresa Molina & William W. Olney, 2023. "The gender gap among top business executives," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, vol 211, pages 270-286.

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Related works:
Journal Article: The gender gap among top business executives (2023)
Working Paper: The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives (2020)
Working Paper: The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives (2020)
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