Occupational Match Quality and Gender over Two Cohorts

Abstract

We deploy a measure of occupational mismatch based on the discrepancy between the portfolio of skills required by an occupation and the array of abilities possessed by the worker for learning those skills. We report distinct gender differences in match quality and changes in match quality over the course of careers. We also show a substantial portion of the gender wage gap stems from match quality differences among the college educated. College-educated females are significantly more mismatched than males. Moreover, those individuals with children and in more flexible occupations tend to be more mismatched. Again, this is especially true of women. Cohort effects are also visible in the data: college-educated males of the younger cohort are worse off in terms of match quality compared to the older cohort, even as the new generation of women is doing better on average.

Keywords: Multidimensional skills, occupational mismatch, match quality, wages, gender wage gap, fertility, fertility timing

JEL Classification: J3, J16, J22, J24, J31, J33, N3