Job Tasks and the Gender Wage Gap Among College Graduates

33 Pages Posted: 16 Jul 2018 Last revised: 27 Mar 2023

See all articles by Todd R. Stinebrickner

Todd R. Stinebrickner

University of Western Ontario - Department of Economics

Ralph Stinebrickner

Berea College; University of Western Ontario

Paul Sullivan

American University

Date Written: July 2018

Abstract

Gender differences in current and past job tasks may be crucial for understanding the gender wage gap. We use novel task data to address well-known measurement concerns, including that standard task measures assume away within-occupation gender differences in tasks. We find that unique measures of task-specific experience, in particular high-skilled information experience, are of particular importance for understanding the substantial widening of the wage gap early in the career. Highlighting the importance of these measures, traditional work-related proxies for gender differences in human capital accumulation are not informative because general work experience is similar by gender for our recent graduates.

Suggested Citation

Stinebrickner, Todd R. and Stinebrickner, Ralph and Sullivan, Paul, Job Tasks and the Gender Wage Gap Among College Graduates (July 2018). NBER Working Paper No. w24790, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3214292

Todd R. Stinebrickner (Contact Author)

University of Western Ontario - Department of Economics ( email )

London, Ontario N6A 5B8
Canada

Ralph Stinebrickner

Berea College ( email )

Berea, KY 40404
United States

University of Western Ontario ( email )

1151 Richmond Street
Suite 2
London, Ontario N6A 5B8
Canada

Paul Sullivan

American University ( email )

4400 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016-8029
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~paulsull/

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