The Role of Labor Market Intermittency in Explaining Gender Wage Differentials

Abstract

Using the Health and Retirement Survey and standard wage decomposition techniques, this paper finds that the difference in intermittent labor force participation between men and women accounts for 47 percent of the contribution to the wage gap of differences in observed characteristics. Not controlling for intermittent behavior results in too much importance being placed on gender differences in job characteristics.

Keywords: gender wage differentials, Oaxaca decomposition, intermittent labor supply, time allocation

JEL Classification: J31, J22