Beyond Education and Occupation: Unpacking the Large Gender Wage Gap in Kenya

Uyanga Byambaa, Edward Miguel, Michael Walker and Samuel Zicheng Wang

No 34375, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Gender wage gaps persist globally, particularly in poor countries. Using Kenya Life Panel Survey data, we first document a raw gender wage gap of 79 log points (55%). We show it remains large, at 39 log points (32%), even controlling for a novel set of individual characteristics – cognitive performance, personality traits, economic preferences, and job tasks – in addition to standard covariates. These novel factors account for only 20% of the residual gap unexplained by education and occupation. Though most Kenyans report egalitarian gender views, these patterns suggest that barriers still hinder women’s labor outcomes.

JEL-codes: J16 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gen, nep-lab, nep-ltv and nep-neu
Note: DEV LS
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